Ultimate Danganronpa 3: Despair's Final Challenge
by Maestro Infinite
Summary: Akira Maita, along with nineteen other kids, has the misfortune of being drawn into yet another mutual killing game, with a dystopian/utopian paradise as the unnatural setting. Secrets abound, as do lies and half-truths. In a world where nothing is quite as it seems which ideal will hold out to the end, hope or despair? Students remaining: 20/20
1. Message 1

A/N: Hello there, I'm a long time writer of fanfiction but this is my first, and only, story that I'm releasing under this penname. I have always been a fan of Danganronpa; even before I ever played it just by looking at promos and game walkthroughs I knew that this would become one of my all-time favorite games. The game series tells an interesting tale of despair in the face of great tragedies and hope that sprouts from the seeds of controversy and that allows miracles to be born. A great story plot is told in the game series about class differences and sociological problems that inhabit the different minds of certain people with odd ways of viewing the world. Be it a world inhabited by chaos and despair like the dream of Junko Enoshima and Ultimate Despair or a world of hope and light depicted by people like Makoto Naegi and Nagito Komaeda. I eagerly await the release of the next installment in the series but while I wait I have decided to try and make my own Danganronpa game. It is a continuation of _Super Danganronpa 2_ so keeping that in mind it will probably be best to check out the entire story content for the original _Danganronpa_ , _Super Danganronpa 2_ , _Danganronpa Zero_ , _Danganronpa IF_ , _Danganronpa Kirigiri_ , and _Danganronpa Ultra Despair Girls_. All of these build up to my story which I have entitled _Ultimate Danganronpa 3: Despair's Final Challenge_. Now I haven't officially started making the story yet since I'm trying to finish up a story I'm writing on my other fanfiction profile. But I do plan to start writing this soon, however until then I am going to give you guys a brief description of what is going to happen and give you the opportunity to submit your own OC because I know a lot of people out there have ideas for players.

My game accompanies twenty people who will be split up into two teams, yes this story has teams and a whole bunch of other features and rules which I've always thought would be a great addition to the killing games. The two teams are Team Kagayaku Mirai (Shining Future) and Team Kurai Mirai (Dark Future), but let me be clear when I say that the team that each player is placed on does not necessarily say what kind of person they are. Now I'm leaving thirteen spots open for the game, the other seven will be filled with my own character and a few of my favorite characters which you should recognize. Here are their names:

Mukuro Ikusaba- first member of Kurai Mirai

Yasuke Matsuda- second member of Kurai Mirai

Izuru Kamukura- third member of Kurai Mirai

Soshun Murasame- first member of Kagayaku Mirai

Nagito Komaeda- second member of Kagayaku Mirai

Chihiro Fujisaki- third member of Kagayaku Mirai

Akira Maita- fourth member of Kagayaku Mirai

Okay in case you weren't keeping count there's seven spots still open for Kurai Mirai and six spots still open for Kagayaku Mirai, so put down which team you want your character to be a part of along with the rest of the following information.

 **Name-**

 **Gender (obviously)-**

 **Age-**

 **Physical appearance (hair color, eye color, distinguishing features, etc.)-**

 **Flow of speech (is there any specific way they talk to other people or address them in?)-**

 **Primary outfit (describe in detail)-**

 **Secondary outfit (only wear once or twice)-**

 **Talent (I'd prefer really interesting ones but anything you can think of is fine)-**

 **Family and friends (what was their life like before they became involved in the mutual killing game?)-**

 **Basic Personality-**

 **Hidden Personality (if they have one)-**

 **Physical or mental condition (again, if they have one)-**

 **Likes-**

 **Dislikes-**

 **Pet Peeves (if any)-**

 **Team you prefer-**

 **Do you see your character as more of a victim or a killer? (I'm making the mysteries and the crimes so feel free not to answer if you don't want to)-**

 **Their approaches towards despair (how do they react exactly when they see a dead body for example)-**

 **Relationship (do you want your character to have one?)-**

Okay that's all I have to say for now, when I get thirteen OC requests that I like I'll start the story so please if you want to see this story happen then start racking your brains for ideas.


	2. Chapter 0

A/N: **Hello America…do you wanna play a game?**

Hah-hah, "Saw" reference. Sorry it's almost Halloween and I'm so excited, but now that I think about it you have to admit that "Saw" and "Danganronpa" share some similarities. Both franchises follow people who get trapped in different locations by some unseen madman who controls a maniacal toy. The only difference is that "Danganronpa" is a little tamer than "Saw", I mean they can't even show the real color of blood? Yeah blood is bright pink, where's the logic in making something as tragic as death look so bright?

Okay anyway, I would like to thank those of you who have already started to favorite and follow this story and those of you who have sent me your OCs to participate in the game. And now the SYOC is officially closed, see the players for the game at the bottom of this post.

Now unfortunately the main story doesn't start here, this is just going to be one of the classic Monokuma Theatres which will be featured prominently throughout the story. They will occur every night when the game begins but this starting one is very special and will be a bunch of stories rolled into one.

But don't worry, the next chapter I release will be the start of the Prologue so just keep looking forward to it. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my makeshift Monokuma Theatre humor. Now let's begin Monokuma Pop-up Theatre!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 0: The Despairful Beginnings of Ultimate Despair**

* * *

MONOKUMA POP-UP THEATRE NULLA: ULTIMATE DESPAIR

* * *

The camera feed turned on and a familiar whimsical and light-hearted voice sounded out through the speaker. "Hello. Hello. Welcome to the show. I know that you all tune into our broadcasting network for one reason and one reason only, and that's to see quality despair programming in real despair time! But for now I thought we could all just unwind and sit back and relax with a nice story. Aww, what's the matter? Did that just make you feel sad that the show's not starting automatically and instead you have to sit through some lame intermission before the excitement starts? Well good. Because sadness is a very potent form of despair, as is boredom, so by all means if the story you are about to hear bores you to tears then feel free to skip over this. Oh but wait that's right you can't, can you? _Hahahahahaha_ , did that make you feel some delicious despair? Because it gave me some."

"Ah, yes in this crappy little world we live in nothing is more precious to us than despair. You all who are watching know just what I mean, don't you? Everything we do in our daily lives we do solely for the sake of feeling despair. We starve ourselves to despair over having empty bellies, we fail at things on purpose just to feel the sweet despair of failure, we live alone and rot alone to despair over having no interpersonal relationships, and best of all we even kill people just to taste their despair of death. Yes, there's no greater despair that one person can experience than watching the despair of someone else. Which is why we kill. We all kill. In our pitiful world everyone kills everyone. It's gotten to the point where killing each other is how we greet one another."

"But I have a question for all you viewers out there. Does anyone actually remember why we started to despair in the first place? It's been a long time after all. It wouldn't surprise me if you all had forgotten with how primal and animalistic the world has gotten. Well that's what our little story is about. The beginning of it all. The beginning of despair. The beginning of our glorious world of anarchy. The beginning of the end. But don't worry, most of you all out there have probably forgotten to read what with the education system being a thing of the past. So our story will have visual aids, despairingly fun visual aids!" The camera turned to show the familiar maniacal teddy bear, Monokuma, sitting in a large chair by a roaring fireplace. Monokuma picked up a large red book off a nearby nightstand and then he sat the book down in his lap. Then he pulled out a pair of scholarly reading glass and put them on so he could read, and then he cleared his throat. "Now let us begin." Monokuma opened the book and then the camera zoomed in to show that the book was actually a pop-up book.

The opening page of the pop-up book showed a childish and crude drawing of the planet Earth and a ring of stick people on the surface of the Earth who were smiling and holding hands like they didn't have a care in the world. "Once upon a time, our world was not so despairingly fun. No, as a matter of fact it was just the opposite of the way it is now. The world was once brimming with hope. People smiled and cared for one another and disgusting feelings like love, friendship, and trust flowed throughout each and every person. The people of the world were so enamored with their "perfect" world that they wished things could remain this peaceful and wonderful forever, and that the coming future would be outlined solely by the hope of creating an even better world. A world without pain, anger, hatred, or violence of any kind. The world functioned according to order and the greater good, and all the bad seeds who threatened that order were removed from the general population and were placed into special institutions called "prisons" where the penalty was that they would remain and rot there until they eventually died."

"This was where they sentenced the people who would be considered perfectly normal in our everyday life. The rapists, the thieves, the vandals, the murderers; you know, the normal people? But sometimes these normal people would commit acts deemed absolutely monstrous to the outside world and when they were removed from society they were removed completely. You all know what I mean, right? Finished, taken care of, toast, sleeping with the fishes. Executed! Some people who broke the order of the world were forced to pay the ultimate price and atone for their sins with their lives."

"Now to any normal person, that would probably scare them into acting just as society and the world wanted them too. Perfectly normal and orderly. Just another cliché. Another happy person mindlessly toiling away to help make the world a better place until the day they die and are replaced with yet another cliché. Thus the endless cycle of order and hope was born." Monokuma cleared his throat again and then flipped to the next page. The next pop-up picture depicted a stick man and a stick woman in a hospital room. The stick woman appeared to be giving birth. "But one day, a certain baby was born into the world. Well actually two certain babies."

"Two little baby girls who were as cute as could be." Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed that the stick figure couple were now holding two new born baby girls, but the baby girls both had the face of Monokuma. One of the baby Monokuma girls had short bobbed black hair and freckles on her cheeks, and the other baby Monokuma girl had beautiful blonde hair that was tied into twin tails. "Now due to…" Monokuma coughed out, "Copyright infringement…" then he returned to his regular voice, "I can't show you the important people's faces or tell you their real names, but if you have half a brain then you should be able to figure out who they are pretty easily. If not, choke on the despair!" Monokuma cleared his throat again. "Now where was I? Ah, yes."

"Two little baby girls were born into the world one day. Fraternal twins. There was the older sister, who we'll call Mukurokuma, who was born just a few minutes before the younger sister, who we'll refer to as Junkokuma. Mukurokuma was cursed at birth with the unpleasantness of being the disappointing child, despite being the elder sister she was far more ugly and off-putting than her beautiful younger sister. Poor Mukurokuma couldn't hold a candle to Junkokuma. But despite her overwhelming beauty, Junkokuma was also gifted with the talent to be able to see the world for what it really was, a disappointing blue and green marble which was just waiting for her to be born so she could stir up some excitement."

"You see, both Mukurokuma and Junkokuma, were born with seeds of despair already sewn into them. From the very moment they came out of their mother they already despaired the world. The tears they cried as infants were tears of pure despair. Surely, if they could talk they would have cried " _Waah, I should have never been born!_ " But in truth, it was the beautiful Junkokuma who had the unique sense of despair inside of her. Her unattractive elder sister was merely her first disciple; being forced to share a room with her little sister for nine months, Mukurokuma was infected with her little sister's despair so she turned out just as twisted and lovely as her, despite still being so ugly and disappointing. But their combined despair was so powerful that in only a few short years it killed their mother and father, but before that their dumb parents were blissfully unaware of the little monsters they had created."

"However, the girls' differences became more and more noticeable as they grew older," Monokuma turned the page again to show a pop-up image of an older Mukurokuma and Junkokuma who looked to be in elementary school. The two girls were sitting at desks inside a classroom; there were a large number of stick people surrounding Junkokuma and they all looked happy and carefree, and meanwhile Mukurokuma was sitting alone on the other side of the classroom with only herself to keep her company. It was pretty obvious which of the sisters was more popular. "Since her birth, Junkokuma was given nothing but praise by the people around her. She had a certain charm, a certain je ne sais quoi that made people just flock to her. Everyone wanted to please Junkokuma so they gave her anything she wanted just so they could receive the little gratitude she showed them in return. Even at a young age, Junkokuma began to see the effect she had on people. She could make them do anything she wanted and then have them come crawling back for even more, and so she started to wonder how far she could take their devotion to her."

"Meanwhile, Mukurokuma became a social outcast. While her younger sister received much praise and admiration, Mukurokuma was forced to live in the shadow of her little sister's grace. And anytime someone would give poor Mukurokuma the time of day it was usually about something concerning her little sister. Poor Mukurokuma was isolated and alone but she didn't let that deter her. Despite all the loneliness she felt, Mukurokuma didn't blame Junkokuma for her sorrows. No, as a matter of fact she was the person who loved Junkokuma most of all. The reason being, the two sisters understood each other like no one else ever would. Mukurokuma knew that her sister had darkness deep down inside of her so at a very young age she vowed to herself that she would always stand by her sister and be of use to her in any way she could, because Mukurokuma felt like she was the only one who could keep her sister in check. And despite all the darkness, Mukurokuma loved her little sister more than life itself…but unfortunately that love wasn't returned even in the slightest amount."

Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up image of Junkokuma being surrounded by darkness. "Junkokuma realized that she could manipulate people into doing anything she wanted. Whether it was fate or some abnormality in her genetics she was somehow able to lure people in and then turn them into her puppets. Even as a little girl, her beautiful face and cheerful demeanor hid an evil mind and a dark soul. She began to seek pleasure in manipulating and tormenting others, relishing in the looks of fear and despair that they would emit when she was done with them. Junkokuma became a pure sadist and a wicked sociopath. She became enamored with despair, claiming that causing despairful situations was just about the most exciting thing in the world."

"But she kept this side of her secret as to not demean her image to the outside world. Only when it was the perfect opportunity would she reveal her true colors. She maintained her good-girl persona and only showed her true side to her sister Mukurokuma, who received constant physical and mental abuse from Junokuma. Junkokuma knew that her older sister was willing to do anything to help her due to her unconditional love for her so she took advantage of that trust and had her sister join in her merrymaking of despair. But no matter how much despair Junkokuma spread it was not enough, it was never enough. So her lust for despair brought her to the bloody act of sin known as murder."

Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up image of Junkokuma in a backyard next to a large tree. There was a nest in the tree with a robin and three eggs inside of it. "Until then, Junkokuma had kept her thirst for despair hidden behind closed doors by just committing the occasional act of despair inducing on herself. She would fail a test at school on purpose, break a few rules here and there to receive punishments, and watch as tragedies in the news unfolded with a wide smile and a wicked giggle. But it still wasn't enough. She longed to taste what she believed would be the most delicious despair, the despair of others. Up until that point she had played pranks on other kids and adults to sate her needs but that had grown quickly tiresome. She needed something more exciting, more fun, more evil, more painful, and especially bloodier. Then one day while she was playing outside she stumbled upon a robin's nest in her backyard. The momma robin was nesting cozily in the nest with her three small blue eggs."

"It was a very peaceful sight and for a brief moment Junkokuma was filled a tremendous amount of joy and warmth in her heart at the sight of the momma bird and her soon to be hatched baby birds." Monokuma turned the page again and showed a new pop-up image. Junkokuma held the momma bird by the neck and started stomping on the eggs with her foot. "But then a wicked thought crept into her head. Like a cat, she slowly reached her hand out and then gripped the momma bird tightly, and then she snapped its neck like a twig. Then she "accidentally" knocked over the nest and "accidentally" stepped on the eggs, snuffing out their lives before they could even be born. That single act started her blood lust craze. She soon sought out every creature she could find, from rats to the neighbors' pets, until one by one…"

Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up image of hundreds of dead animals around a giggling Junkokuma. "She killed each and every one of them." Then he turned the page again and showed a pop-up image of Mukurokuma sitting in front of a dresser mirror. "All the while Mukurokuma kept her sister's secret and guarded her from any scrutiny like the good older sister she was. But try as she might Mukurokuma could not escape the fate of being a disappointing older sister. Even after helping her little sister carry out her deeds she received nothing but abuse, so ever so slowly Mukurokuma started to drift away from Junkokuma until soon they were part of two completely different worlds. But they were still connected by the horrible acts they had committed, Mukurokuma's hands were just as dirty as her sister's."

"But there was still one difference between them, a big difference. Mukurokuma had a heart, a pure and innocent heart that simply fell victim to Junkokuma's perverted, black one. With each life that Junkokuma snuffed out she became more sadistic and perverse but with each life that Mukurokuma helped Junkokuma snuff out she became more withdrawn and sad. Her eyes started to turn dull and listless. All the blood and death weighed heavy on her mind and heart, her soul began to feel like it was tattered. Mukurokuma was truly disappointing, she couldn't even take despair well. For her despair was like taking a bad tasting medicine, good for your health but nasty enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth."

"And for a while she stayed like that until she found the luxurious world of military combat. Soldiers and weaponry, the whole concept behind shedding blood for a purpose fascinated her. She began to wonder if someone as useless as her could use the gift of despair that her sister had given her for something meaningful. If Mukurokuma's destiny was truly to become a killer like her sister then why not become a killer with a purpose? A mission?" Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of Mukurokuma competing in a military survival tournament.

"With the newfound drive of becoming a killer with a purpose, Mukurokuma trained her mind and body to prepare herself for the arduous life of a soldier. Then to test herself she decided to compete in a national military survival tournament, all her other combatants which were much older than her were miraculously brought down with ease. It was nothing short of unbelievable that an elementary schooler could do the things she did effortlessly. And news about Mukurokuma's accomplishment traveled fast in the military world, several military magazines published stories about her and claimed her to be the child prodigy of modern warfare." Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up image of Mukurokuma armed with a series of guns and weapons. "Mukurokuma had now grown into a person she could live with, a person who killed for a reason, not for sick pleasure. So disappointing."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up image of Junkokuma building a sand castle and a boy watching her from afar and reading a manga book. The boy had Monokuma's face as well and messy shoulder-length black hair. "Meanwhile, Junkokuma found another seed of despair which she could sew. There was a boy who often watched her from afar but never spoke to her, his name was…well let's just call him Yasukekuma for now. Anyway, Junkokuma and Yasukekuma both went to the same elementary school and Yasukekuma like all others found himself automatically drawn to Junkokuma. The first time they ever spoke however was the day that Junkokuma started to make a sand sculpture based on the famous Sagrada Familia Church."

"Yasukekuma got up the nerve to finally speak to Junkokuma and complimented her on her sand sculpture and the two soon became fast friends. However, Yasukekuma was unaware that he was already in Junkokuma's trap. Her plan was to use him just as she used her sister, because to Junkokuma people were just toys made for her amusement. She could wind them up and then watch them go and then throw them away when she got bored with them or when they became broken." Monokuma flipped to the next page again and showed a pop-up image of Junkokuma holding little windup toy versions of Mukurokuma and Yasukekuma. "Yasukekuma was sorely unaware that the moment he spoke to Junkokuma he was already doomed like Mukurokuma."

"Over the next month they met just like that, chatting incessantly over whatever they could until one day Junkokuma discovered her sand sculpture had been destroyed." Monokuma turned the page again to show a pop-up image of a weeping Junkokuma over a smushed sand castle. Yasukekuma was standing behind her with a look of concern on his face. "Junkokuma cried all day over the fate of her precious sculpture. _"Waah, who would do this?! Waah!"_ But cry as she might her tears would not bring her sand sculpture back to life. However, Yasukekuma managed to cheer her up by saying that he would find the person responsible for destroying her sculpture." Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up picture of Yasukekuma investigating a trail of footprints in the sand with a magnifying glass like some kind of detective. "Luckily, Yasukekuma had read lots of detective manga so he knew exactly what to do."

"He looked high and low but he did not find out who destroyed Junkokuma's sand sculpture, and then just when he was about to give up Junkokuma told Yasukekuma a secret. Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up image of the trail of sandy footprints leading to Junkokuma. _"I'm the one who destroyed my sand sculpture. I just wanted to see how you would react when I told you that. And judging by the look on your face it was worth it."_ Yasukekuma was shocked for words. He was amazed that she could possibly do something like that. Junkokuma had spent a whole month making that sand sculpture and then she destroyed it just so she could have a laugh at him as he went about looking for clues? And that's when Junkokuma revealed her intentions in creating the elaborate ruse. It was all for the sake of despair."

"She truly cared about that sand sculpture, she spent a whole month making it so how could she possibly not? But when you lose something precious to you all that's left is despair which was just too much for Junkokuma to pass up. Despair had become like a drug to the girl, the killing of animals had become too much for Mukurokuma to bear so she suggested that Junkokuma find a different hobby to focus on for a while. And Junkokuma liked making her sand sculpture so much that she had to destroy it. Pain and death were how Junkokuma showed her affection." Monokuma looked up at the camera. "And I ask you all to keep in mind that she's only an elementary schooler at this point in time."

Then Monokuma looked back down at the book and continued to read. "Junkokuma let Yasukekuma in on her secret world of despair, she told him everything, literally everything. And at the end Yasukekuma was indeed horrified as anyone would expect, but at the same time he felt happy. He was so happy that Junkokuma trusted him so much that she would tell him her deep dark secrets. He began to wonder, was this feeling what they called love? Yes, it must have been. Yasukekuma had fallen in love with Junkokuma from the very moment he laid eyes on her, but who wouldn't? Even when she was only an elementary schooler she was already smoking hot. But still very, very, very crazy." Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up picture of Junkokuma and Yasukekuma holding hands under a tree. "But that didn't matter to Yasukekuma, he was sure that he loved her. He had never been close to anyone before, he had a sharp tongue and often made fun of others so he had no real friends to speak of. But Junkokuma liked that mischievous side of him because she was even more mischievous."

"Of course Yasukekuma didn't agree with everything that Junkokuma did, so he tried to force her off of slaughtering animals and push her back to childish pranks, which he promised to commit with her. That day they had truly become best friends…and maybe even more." Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up picture of Junkokuma sitting in front of the same dresser mirror that Mukurokuma had sat in front of before. "But meeting Yasukekuma had caused something to grow inside Junkokuma. Her love of despair seemed prideful, Yasukekuma seemed to almost like her because of her lust for despair. Then a thought came into Junkokuma's head. " _Maybe I don't need to stay hidden anymore, maybe if Yasukekuma could accept me for who I really am then the whole world might."_ Junkokuma chose to not heed her sister's advice and keep her love of despair hidden, she wanted to share her despair with Yasukekuma who willingly volunteered for it. And that made her think that there must be others, other people out there like Yasukekuma who have the power to become enamored in despair like her."

"So she proudly proclaimed _"I'll share it all, I'll share my despair with the whole world!"_ Then Monokuma pulled a little tab on the pop-up book and the dresser mirror became cracked. "Thus, Junkokuma's Despairification of Humanity project came into being. And from that moment on she planned, she planned every excruciating detail, everything that would need to happen for the world to feel so much despair that they would become enamored in it." Monokuma turned the page again to show a pop-up image of Mukurokuma and Junkokuma going separate ways. Junkokuma was going off with Yasukekuma to pull some pranks on unsuspecting suckers and Mukurokuma was off to practice and sharpen her military combat skills with an automatic rifle in hand.

"From that point in time, the Despair Sisters began to grow increasingly distant until they barely spoke one word to each other. Mukurokuma was fine with being left alone as long as her little sister was happy, and she seemed to be at her happiest whenever she was with Yasukekuma. So Mukurokuma crept deeper into the military world, absorbing each and every style of combat, how to use every single weapon known to mankind, and even a few torture techniques for interrogation. The Despair Sisters both had their hobbies and for the meantime that was all they needed."

"Then things changed immensely when the girls entered middle school. Junkokuma had been thinking about her future and decided that she wanted to be someone that the world would look to as a goddess. So she decided she wanted to become a fashion model, so she could rule the world with her beauty and then slowly corrupt it with her despair. She was like a black widow, beautiful but deadly. And Yasukekuma, who had begun to stick by her side like glue decided that he wanted to become a neurologist…for some boring sappy reason which we don't need to talk about right now…so they both vowed that they would help each other achieve their dream, even when Yasukekuma knew what Junkokuma's dream really was. Meanwhile, Mukurokuma had become a world marvel in military combat, so much so that her skills were sought out by a group of unexpected people. The sisters took a family vacation to Europe one summer and that was when Mukurokuma suddenly disappeared."

"The fake story was that Mukurokuma had been kidnapped, and that was the story that their parents believed, but Junkokuma knew the truth. Mukurokuma left of her own accord to run off and join one of the most secretive military outfits on the planet. The Fenrir Mercenary Corps, a group of extremely deadly soldiers for hire who were somehow involved in every single war since the beginning of time itself. It was said that a single member of Fenrir had the strength of over one-hundred ordinary soldiers, and Mukurokuma who was a child prodigy in the military arts took her rightful place as one of the greatest soldiers who ever lived, even going so far as to inscribe the symbol of Fenrir permanently on the back of her right hand to prove how dedicated she was to the life of a soldier." Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up image of Mukurokuma dressed in full military garb, carrying tons of weapons, and show-casing the symbol of Fenrir on her right hand.

"She saw hundreds of battles, some small-scale, some massive, but all single-handedly stopped by her. She committed many murders and assassinations but it was always for the sake of the mission, she had something to live for in this new life, a purpose. Mukurokuma was a killing machine, a tool for her little sister and now Fenrir to use as they saw fit. And that was fine with her, the only love she had ever known was the cruel love of her misunderstood sister. She never felt anything else besides cold, hard, calculating logic. In a combat zone, logic trumped the best tactic imaginable and the thing that made Mukurokuma such a brilliant soldier was that she always kept a cool head when she was engaged in combat. Her fellow mercenaries referred to it as a Battle Trance, it was like a dance of survival and fighting mixed into one. When she was in this state nothing mattered except for her goal. Her drive was the only thing that kept her going and her drive was strong, so strong that in every single battle she fought in she always came out of it without sustaining a single injury, not even so much as a scratch. She was truly the greatest soldier who ever lived, all the while being just a middle schooler."

Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up image of Junkokuma modeling for a photo shoot. "Meanwhile, Junkokuma began to put her plan into action. She finally ended up in modeling as a fashion idol for teenage girls. Ironically, everyone loved her so much because to them she was so real. A real girl, not superficial like one of those stuck-up runway models. But if her fans had known what a crazy girl she was underneath that mask they probably would have been appalled. But Junkokuma was good at keeping her true self hidden, only Mukurokuma and Yasukekuma knew of her secret and that was the way she wanted it to stay for now. Until, it was time for the next phase of her plan which she would only be able to initiate when she became a high schooler."

Monokuma looked up at the camera again and said, "Now if you fell asleep wake up because this is where it gets good!" Then he flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of Hope's Peak Academy. "There was once a legendary school in Japan that was known the world around for being the best of the best. Hope's Peak Academy, a school where only the most elite of the elite were allowed to attend. There were two criteria that a person must meet to even be considered by Hope's Peak Academy, first off they must already be a high school student and secondly they must excel in every subject. There was no entrance exam and no large tuition that you had to pay to get in, you just had to be scouted out personally by one of the teachers of the school."

"Because you see the only way you could get into Hope's Peak Academy was with nothing more than pure natural talent. If you were an average nobody you'd probably never even be allowed to look upon the school, much less attend any classes. But that didn't stop ordinary kids from dreaming of going to that school. The rumor was that if you graduated from Hope's Peak Academy success in life was guaranteed. That would fill any high schooler with excitement." Monokuma looked up at the camera again, "Imagine it, all the graduates of that prestigious school working together to make the world a better place. Doesn't it just strum at your heart strings? Because it makes me want to vomit." Then he continued to read, "But nonetheless, this school and the students who attended it would be the participants in an event that would shake all of mankind to its core in fear. This was the first stage of the next phase of Junkokuma's plan."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Junkokuma in front of Hope's Peak Academy with Yasukekuma. "All that hard work she'd done to become one of the top teens of the world had paid off and she was allowed to come to Hope's Peak Academy under the title of "Ultimate". A title given to each and every student which showcases their talent. Junkokuma's was the Ultimate Fashionista due to her immense popularity and stardom as a famous fashion model. And her trusted helper, Yasukekuma, who was a year older than her, had been given the opportunity to enroll under the title of Ultimate Neurologist…again glazing over why he has that talent. Yasukekuma was in the 77th class of Hope's Peak Academy and Junkokuma was in the 78th, so it appeared as if they would not see that much of each other school wise being in different classes and all."

"But Junkokuma's plan still united them, and as long as he could stay together with Junkokuma that was enough for Yasukekuma to see it through. His focus would be on proving his hypothesis about memory erasure, which would be a key component in Junkokuma's master plan for despair. And Junkokuma would focus on gathering more helpers and selecting the players for her game. It was just like the old days, everyone was drawn to her which made it so easy to find the people with seeds of despair and seeds of hope inside of them."

Monokuma flipped the page again to show the next pop-up picture which depicted Junkokuma meeting the other members of her class. Including her there were sixteen members of the 78th class. There was a Monokuma boy with messy sandy brown hair and a green sweatshirt, a Monokuma girl with long dark blue hair and a sailor uniform, a Monokuma boy with spiky dyed red hair and a goatee, a Monokuma girl with short and layered light brown hair and a green school uniform, a Monokuma boy with a lightly reddish brown Punch Perm and a black leather jacket, and a Monokuma boy with slightly spikey black hair and a white uniform that looked more befitting of a general than a high school student."

"There was also a portly Monokuma boy with short black hair and round glasses, a Monokuma girl in gothic Lolita fashion, a tough-looking Monokuma girl with long white hair, an overeager Monokuma girl with brown hair tied back into a ponytail and a red sports jersey, a bookish looking Monokuma girl with long brown hair tied into pigtail braids and eloquent looking glasses, an older looking Monokuma boy with messy brown hair, a Monokuma boy with short blonde-hair and glasses who sort of had a regal appearance, and a Monokuma girl with long lavender hair that wore a pair of gloves."

"The last girl was someone she already knew, but they didn't act like they knew each other because that would throw off the plan that Junkokuma had set up. The plan that she spent so long making, the plan that made the other girl abandon everything that Fenrir had given her and forced her to kill each and every one of them so she could return, the plan that the other girl would do anything for because she knew it would make her sister happy. The final member of the 78th class was Mukurokuma. But right now they were just strangers who were meeting for the first time, to keep suspicion even from the higher-ups at Hope's Peak Academy they changed Mukurokuma's last name as to not call unwanted attention."

"Getting one talented individual from one family was a miracle but two was very unlikely and suspicious. For the remainder of their time at Hope's Peak they would just act like school friends and nothing else. Only when the time was right would they reveal who they really were; the Despair Sisters, their helper Yasukekuma, and anyone else that they could force to their shared way of thinking." Monokuma looked up at the camera again. "Now we can't go into too much detail because we're pressed for time but we'll tell you a little bit about Junkokuma and Mukurokuma's classmates."

"There was Sayakakuma who was known as the Ultimate Pop Sensation due to her overwhelming beautiful voice as the leader of one of the world's top popstar groups. Then there was Leonkuma who was known as the Ultimate Baseball Star due to his almost unnatural skills at the beloved national pastime. Then there was Chihirokuma who was known as the Ultimate Programmer, a genius with computers and an extremely cute "girl" to boot. Then Mondokuma the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, an icon to all miscreants and felons of Japan. Kiyotakakuma the Ultimate Moral Compass and a general hard ass and rule stickler. Hifumikuma the Ultimate Fanfic Creator who was an inspiration to otakus everywhere. Celestiakuma the Ultimate Gambler who was kind of messed up in the head with chuunibyou and thought she was a witch. Sakurakuma the Ultimate Martial Artist and one of the world's best MMA fighters."

"Aoikuma the Ultimate Swimming Pro and generally overeager athlete. Tokokuma the Ultimate Writing Prodigy and beloved romance novelist of young girls everywhere, while at the same time being a rude girl with a bad persecution complex. Yasuhirokuma the Ultimate Clairvoyant and knower and liar of all things supernatural and weird. Kyokokuma the Ultimate Detective who came from a secret clan of detectives that went as far back as humanly possible. Byakuyakuma the Ultimate Affluent Progeny…try saying that three times fast…who had multiple talents and skills because he was a descendant of a family that practically ruled the world, and he was sure to let you know about it with his snide attitude."

"And last and certainly least, there was Makotokuma who revealed to the others that he had no talent whatsoever and that the only reason he got to come to Hope's Peak Academy was because of a secret event held once a year by the academy in which a random student in the country was picked by lottery to determine the title of Ultimate Lucky Student. Pure luck at having his name drawn from a lottery was the only reason someone as pathetic, dull, uninteresting, dull x 2, and stupid as Makotokuma could get into a prestigious place like Hope's Peak Academy. But oddly enough…" Monokuma turned the page to show a pop-up image of Makotokuma smiling and waving at Mukurokuma and Mukurokuma gasping in reply and holding her chest tightly as she blushed in embarrassment. "Mukurokuma, the disappointing older sister, fell in love with Makotokuma. It wasn't just because of her bad taste in guys, and it wasn't just because she had low self-esteem and didn't think that she could do better, no it was because of something really sappy and stupid. A smile."

"Up until that point in her life Mukurokuma had seen nothing but loneliness, pain, blood, and death, with her being a soldier and because she was related to Junkokuma. Never, not even when she was really little, had someone smiled at her the way that Makotokuma did. A warm and friendly smile that said _"I like you, let's be friends."_ A smile that was sincere, a welcoming smile. Mukurokuma never had the luxury of such things, even her own parents – who Junkokuma admitted to having revealed her true self to them and crushed them with despair before Mukurokuma returned – never showed her that kind of smile, it was like the smile that everyone in her old life had shown her little sister. Makotokuma didn't know it but to Mukurokuma that smile was saying that he cared deeply about her. And Junkokuma, being ever the clever one, took notice of her older sister's little crush and decided that she would save that juicy tidbit for later, if and when her sister decided to step out of line again."

Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of Yasukekuma who was busy working on a machine in his neurology lab. "Meanwhile, Yasukekuma was busy filling his portion of Junkokuma's plan. He studied the inner and outer workings of the brain and was sure that when his machine was complete it would be a rousing success. For anyone else his task would have probably been impossible, but Yasukekuma was called the Ultimate Neurologist for a reason, nobody knew how the brain worked better than he did."

"Every feeling, every idea, every single thought, Yasukekuma automatically knew the part of the brain that caused the reaction to occur. In his time since coming to Hope's Peak Academy he had already discovered the causes for several mental illnesses and had figured out a way to treat them. That might've been why he liked Junkokuma so much. Her mind clearly did not function the way a normal person's did, her mind was unique; it was like finding a four-leaf clover in a field of useless three-leaf clovers. One of a kind. As a scientist how could he not be fascinated? But there was also some emotional attachment, over the years Junkokuma had become his best friend…perhaps even more."

"But in the end there was something holding him back from telling her how he felt, it appeared that a single sliver of hope remained inside the misguided boy. Hope that one day a new Junkokuma would emerge, one with a normal mind, one who wanted to really feel things and experience the world. A Junkokuma he could call even more than a friend. So you see that was the real reason he had stuck with Junkokuma through thick and thin because he knew deep down that her love for despair was going to end up hurting someone real bad, maybe even herself. Up until that time Junkokuma had only killed small animals, a budding psychopath, but not a true murderer yet."

"She had yet to commit the ultimate taboo. So there was still a chance, there was still a chance Junkokuma could be saved before her despair ended up swallowing her whole. The reason Yasukekuma first agreed to stay with her is because he wanted to cure her, to cure her infected mind. And that was "his" goal behind helping Junko fulfill her master plan. He was going to find a way to erase her memories. He figured that if he could completely rewrite Junkokuma from scratch then maybe in time she could come to accept the new her and her lust for despair would never harm her again. _"It's the only way to save her from herself"_ he thought."

Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up picture of Makotokuma sitting alone in the central plaza of Hope's Peak Academy and reading a book. Unbeknownst to him Mukurokuma was hiding behind a nearby tree and watching him quietly. "Meanwhile, Mukurokuma continued to be involved in her one-sided love interest with Makotokuma even though she had barely spoken a single word to him since the day they first met. She actually went out of her way to avoid him and when he invited her to go somewhere with him and the other members of their class she always declined and said she was busy. Makotokuma had actually started to think that Mukurokuma did not like him at all, though that couldn't have been further from the truth."

"In reality, Mukurokuma had become a bit of a stalker towards Makotokuma. She was always watching him from afar and sometimes she purposely took things from his desk or locker just so she could get the opportunity to return them and they would have something to talk about – although she never took those opportunities when they arose. And one time she even followed Makotokuma home, it actually took her five minutes after he went inside his house for her to realize that she had followed him all the way home from school. Mukurokuma wasn't a yandere, she just didn't know how to handle the feelings she had for Makotokuma."

"All day, every day, Makotokuma was always on her mind. That stoic and cool soldier who had easily killed hundreds of people on the battlefield was gone and replaced by an insecure, stalkerish, shy high school girl. Her heart which she could stop to one beat per minute to maintain her covert silence started to beat madly and threaten to burst out of her chest every time he smiled at her. That damn smile, it was the cause of all her troubles, which was the reason she felt this way. It appeared that Mukurokuma was the only one not taking the plan seriously."

Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of the academy's infirmary. There were three people inside the infirmary. The first person was a Monokuma boy with messy white hair and a pale complexion who was lying in one of the infirmary beds fast asleep with an oxygen mask stuck to his face. The second was a Monokuma girl with long, choppy, dark purple hair and an apron who appeared to be a nurse. And last but not least was Junkokuma who was sitting across from the sickly boy and the nurse on one of the opposite beds. "And while Yasukekuma was plotting his little scheme and Mukurokuma was in her one-sided love interest, Junkokuma gathered the other members of her little group of despair. Junkokuma at first remained quiet as to settle into her persona to make her performance believable and in that time she had already found several willing participants for her despair."

"All she had to do was reveal her true self and then harvest their seeds of despair one by one until they became her little puppets as well. That was when she stumbled across two of the most despairful people she had ever had the joy of meeting. One afternoon while exploring the school and preying on the minds of more mortals she stumbled across a lone girl in the infirmary with a boy who appeared to be very sick. The girl revealed to Junkokuma that the boy had two terminal diseases, one that affected his mental state so severely to the point where he would sometimes babble incoherently about nonsensical things and one disease that drastically lowered his physical health and appearance. They were classmates in the class right above Junkokuma, the 77th class, named Mikankuma and Nagitokuma."

"Junokuma, being the naturally curious one asked to know more, claiming to be concerned about Nagitokuma's well-being. Mikankuma, believing her whole-heartedly, told Junkokuma that Nagitokuma was their class's Ultimate Lucky Student and that for him the name really applied to having extraordinary luck, unlike the boringly average Makotokuma in her class. Mikankuma explained that Nagitokuma's illnesses actually should have killed him a long time ago and that his unnatural luck was the only thing that had kept him alive till now. Usually he was fine and care-free but at least once a week Nagitokuma would break down in agony and she would take him to the infirmary to treat him and ease his pain. Mikankuma was the Ultimate Nurse but even with her medical skills there was only so much she could do for a deathly sick person. If it wasn't for Nagitokuma's luck he would have just been a lifeless husk. _"No, t-th-that's…wr-wr-wrong"_ a weak person cried out in response to Mikankuma's concerns."

Monokuma pulled another tab on the side of the pop-up book that made Nagitokuma open his eyes and sit up in his infirmary bed. "Nagitokuma was really weak but he felt that what he had to say was so important that he could endure a little pain. In a raspy voice, he told Junkokuma about the horrible turn of events that his life had become. Apparently, Nagitokuma's family was all blessed with an unnatural sense of good luck but Nagitokuma himself was given an equal dose of bad luck to go along with his family's good luck, and that bad luck had caused him a lot of grief over the years. It began when his pet dog, who he loved deeply, got run over by a truck; a simple accident maybe, but Nagitokuma was convinced that it was because of his bad luck. But the girls remained unconvinced. However, as the terminally ill boy's story went on Junkokuma and Mikankuma started to believe in Nagitokuma's claimed supernatural ability/curse."

"When he was only an elementary school student, Nagitokuma and his parents went on a family vacation to San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos archipelago. When the vacation was at an end, his family boarded onto an airplane leaving from the San Cristóbal Airport that ended up being hijacked. But miraculously, both the hijacker and Nagitokuma's parents were killed before his very eyes after a small meteor crashed into the airplane. Nagitokuma was the survivor, letting him inherit all of his parents' fortune and become free to do whatever he wished as he had no other relatives alive to care for him. Then shortly thereafter, during middle school, Nagitokuma was kidnapped by a serial killer and held for ransom; although he was soon released and the police found him in the garbage bag the murderer kidnapped him in. Nagitokuma had surmised that the serial killer let him go because there was no one to pay ransom for him. But while in that bag Nagitokuma had discovered a lottery ticket. It was a winning one for three million yen and in that situation the lottery ticket was the only good luck received."

"Nagitokuma's endless cycle of good luck and bad luck made sure that any chance he might have at obtaining actual happiness would be cancelled. And in order to cope with this very despair-inducing way of living, he developed a strong faith in hope so that he could find meaning in his life. However, this turned into an unhealthy obsession due to the mental terminal illness that had affected him. He started to go on and on about the glory of hope and how that even though his luck was the thing that had kept him alive for so long his limitless amount of hope was the thing that had kept him sane and gave him the will to live just for a little longer and find some little purpose for his life to have."

" _You see my one wish is to die and end this pitiful existence of mine"_ that comment shocked both Mikankuma and Junkokuma. Nagitokuma truly meant every word he said though, he believed that his life was meaningless without any true happiness in it. So he hoped and hoped with all his heart and the little willpower that he had left that he would one day soon die with just a little bit of meaning and purpose in his life. Mikankuma didn't know what to make of Nagitokuma's outbursts and just chocked them up to his mental illness but Junkokuma read deeper into his words. Nagitokuma's words may have praised hope but each and every word he spoke was laced with sublime despair."

"It was like smoking in front of a nicotine addict, or drinking in front of an alcoholic. And eventually Junkokuma would reveal her addiction to despair to the hopeful boy. And from that day on, whenever Junkokuma could find the time she would "accidentally" meet up with her two upperclassmen on one of Nagitokuma's bad days. Even though both of her upperclassmen thought it was odd that they would see her each time they came to the infirmary they didn't question it, they both enjoyed talking to Junkokuma and in a few short trips they had all become real good friends."

"And it only took a little time for one of them to break under Junkokuma's despair. But unexpectedly it was Mikankuma who broke first. Mikankuma revealed to Junkokuma that her whole life had been nothing but abuse which is why she always seemed to apologize every time she slipped up or made a mistake. She said the only reason she accepted all of that abuse was because she wanted to be needed by someone no matter what the cost. But then Mikankuma went on to say that since meeting Junkokuma she felt like a colossal weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She could finally talk freely without the fear of being reprimanded, she felt that when she was with Junkokuma she could be herself. Junkokuma, being the sly snake that she was, found a way to get inside Mikankuma's head."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up image of Junkokuma holding Mikankuma's hand and a large red heart around the both of them. _"You don't have to pretend with me. You can be yourself, your true self, the one that you always have to hide out of fear of being punished. I know she's in there somewhere, just waiting to be freed, I know because I have a girl like that inside of me too. Maybe the two of us could be the very best of friends…or perhaps if you're willing, even more than friends"_ saidJunkokuma. She knew that the only way to drag a person like Mikankuma down to her level was to give her the one thing that she seemed to lack. Love. It didn't even have to be real, just real to Mikankuma. So Junkokuma played the part of Mikankuma's best friend/beloved. She sent a little praise towards Mikankuma and in no time she had her wrapped around her little finger. Mikankuma was so despairingly stupid and desperate for attention. She was just a pathetic girl with a deep desire to be needed."

Monokuma flipped the page again and showed a pop-up image of Junkokuma wearing a crown and standing on top of a black and distorted planet Earth. "Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for Nagitokuma. He knew that Junkokuma wanted something from him from the very first day that he had met her. Just tricking him like Mikankuma wasn't going to work. So Junkokuma laid all her cards out on the table and was up front with Nagitokuma. She told Nagitokuma that she was probably the only person in the world that could relate to him because while his life was cursed with luck, her life was cursed with a never ending thirst for despair. But unlike him she wasn't content with dying and ending her pitiful existence. No, Junkokuma wanted to make the whole world know just what kind of pain she had to endure. She wanted to throw the whole world into despair. That was the goal of her Desapairification of Humanity project."

Monokuma flipped the page again and showed a pop-up picture of Nagitokuma putting a crown on a planet Earth that seemed bright and peaceful. "But for Nagitokuma, a person who believed that hope was the strongest thing in the world, that plan sounded horrible and evil. Nagitokuma believed that if the world must be brought into a new era like Junkokuma believed than it should be a world overflowing with hope, where everyone is optimistic and believes their dreams can come true. That was actually Nagitokuma's main reason for coming to Hope's Peak Academy, he figured that being surrounded by the so-called hope of the world would give his life some little purpose and that even trash like him could do some good for humanity alongside the people he truly envisioned as Ultimates before his untimely death. It appeared as though Junkokuma and Nagitokuma were polar opposites, much like despair and hope. One could not exist without the other but at the same time both have the power to cancel out the other, they were at an utter stalemate. But that was when Junkokuma came up with a brilliant idea."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Junkokuma striking a deal with Nagitokuma by shaking his hand in agreement. "Junkokuma told Nagitokuma about her so-called game of despair as the crown jewel to her master plan. Select several students to compete in a game that forces them into the pits of despair and then they would both see which was stronger, the hope that the students represented or Junkokuma's despair. Nagitokuma agreed to the bet and decided to ally himself with Junkokuma on the sole belief that his hope would triumph over her despair in the end. And when that time came he promised her that he would take over and lead the world on a path filled with hope. It was an agreement built on a rivalry. As the saying goes keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of a giant Junkokuma towering over Hope's Peak Academy with a darkened sky as a backdrop. "By the time her first year almost ended Junkokuma had sapped the will of hope out of several students in Hope's Peak Academy and turned them into her despairful puppets. There was Mikankuma the Ultimate Nurse. Nagitokuma the Ultimate Lucky Student. Teruterukuma the Ultimate Cook. Mahirukuma the Ultimate Photographer. Pekokuma the Ultimate Swordswoman. Hiyokokuma the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. Ibukikuma the Ultimate Musician. Nekomarukuma the Ultimate Team Manager. Gundhamkuma the Ultimate Animal Breeder. Fuyuhikokuma the Ultimate Yakuza. Kazuichikuma the Ultimate Mechanic. Akanekuma the Ultimate Gymnast. Soniakuma the Ultimate Princess. A mysterious person known as the Ultimate Imposter. And many others."

"Junkokuma found every person inside Hope's Peak Academy with even a single trace of despair inside them, and then slowly she gained their trust and their friendship, learned their secrets and fears, and then slowly warped their minds until they began to despair the world as much as she did. The only person who managed to resist Junkokuma's temptation was Nagitokuma whose belief in hope was so strong that it overpowered the despair Junkokuma tried to instill in him. He was still Junkokuma's puppet, but he was a willing candidate of Junkokuma's plan and still went along with her and the others, just with the belief that hope would rise above the despair and end the plan before it could be completed."

"Junkokuma started referring to herself and the people who followed her as Ultimate Despair, which first just became a rumor of the school and then slowly spread through internet chatrooms and forums as an urban legend. The teachers of Hope's Peak Academy and even the headmaster at first thought that the rumor of a secret society in the school was just hearsay and rumors and nothing more. Certainly not anything that needed the concern of anybody outside the school. Hope's Peak Academy was facing more dire issues at the moment, the talentless students of the newly established Reserve Department."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of two halves of the Hope's Peak Academy. There were two different buildings, the main building which housed all the talented students and then the Reserve Department building which housed the regular students. "The Reserve Department program was established a year after Junkokuma started at Hope's Peak Academy. The way that the higher-ups of Hope's Peak Academy described it made it seem like an opportunity for average people to join the throngs of hope and success that Hope's Peak Academy offered for its students, but in reality it was just a way that they could use to raise money to continue their research on talent. They didn't care about the regular students at all."

"Now most of the students who joined the Reserve Department did so in order to experience the pride that attending Hope's Peak Academy would give them, basically they were the fad chasers who only joined the academy because it was such a popular school. But there were some students who joined simply because they admired the academy and all it stood for, to them it was like a shining example of the belief that anything was possible, pure hope. But unfortunately these Reserve Department students were looked down upon by the rest of Hope's Peak Academy because in the end the common name amongst the schools didn't matter. The true fact of the matter was that the Reserve Department students were all still talentless, ordinary trash and they would always be looked down upon because of that fact. So a large rift began to grow between the Reserve Department School and the main school which continued on well throughout the year. This was an unexpected incident that Junkokuma had not planned for, but being the optimist of despair that she was she quickly thought up a way to work this civil war of the Hope's Peak Academy schools into her plan."

"Meanwhile, the higher-ups of Hope's Peak Academy secretly thought up a way to ease the tension of the Reserve Department School by offering one student the opportunity to come and study at the main school for a small – extremely large – tuition fee of course. One student was chosen amongst all others, not for having the highest test scores but because the headmaster saw that the student in question represented the true will of hope that Hope's Peak Academy admired so much. So that student was chosen amongst all others to come and study with the main school. And then that was the last time that anyone ever heard from that student again. They weren't really missed because along with being hopeful they were beyond ordinary and common, so no one really even bothered asking questions and that student faded into obscurity completely."

Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of a Monokuma boy with long, flowing black hair and a little suit and tie who was sitting alone inside an empty classroom and staring out of a window. "But also around that time Junkokuma learned a secret from one of her fellow classmates, Kyokokuma. The Ultimate Detective had heard a rumor of an unknown student at Hope's Peak Academy who did not attend any classes, nor talk to anyone, or ever even really show his face. Basically this student was almost like a ghost. Kyokokuma being a good little detective took great interest in the mysterious individual and decided to use her spare time into looking for the unknown student, but so far she had come up completely empty in her search. That didn't deter Junkokuma though, her thirst for despair was boundless and to her the unknown student sounded like a full course gourmet buffet of despair. The perfect candidate for her undertaking if she could mold them to suit her needs."

"But as she searched high and low for the mystery student she came up empty as well, until one day when she came across a lone student sitting by himself in an empty classroom during lunchbreak." Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up picture of Junkokuma coming into the room and surprising the Monokuma boy. It also showed a thick, miasma-like essence around the boy which made Junkokuma's smile widen. "Upon entering the room Junkokuma nearly fainted at the feeling of the overwhelming sense of isolation, sadness, and hatred. She took one look at the boy and knew it was him. It was definitely him, the rumored mystery student Izurukuma."

"But Junkokuma tried to remain calm and composed as she hid her glee. She explained carefully who she was and why she was looking for him, desperate not to trip any toes with him and miss out on harvesting his ripened despair. Junkokuma told him every excruciating detail about herself and her plan to bring the world into despair so it could be a paradise for people who already know despair like her and Izurukuma. And with each thing that Junkokuma said, Izurukuma's expression began to turn from sorrow into glee. When she was finally done explaining her love for despair she asked if Izurukuma would join her and help usher the world into a new age. To which Izurukuma replied to with…" Monokuma pulled a tab on the side of the page and Izurukuma began to roll on the desk he sat on in hysterical laughter.

"Laughter. Junkokuma poured out everything about herself to the one person she believed to be the perfect toy and yet he had the gall to laugh at her? Junkokuma was not used to that, not at all. Everyone else always doted on her every word which was why she thought manipulating mortals was such an easy thing to do. Yet this boy, Izurukuma, laughed to her face and then said _"You are some kind of crazy. But I'll admit you seem fun, this school is so boring that every day I feel like I want to kill myself just to escape how bored I am. Your plan seems like real fun, especially the part about the killing game. Maybe it would be fun to show myself to the world and finally come out of hiding. You say that you want this school, this so-called school of hope to burn to ashes? That's fine by me, I could give a rat's ass about this place. They never let me be around anyone else because they're afraid that if the world finds out about me then they'll have to close down and…..now you're back to being boring. Get out of my sight, you disgust me you horrid hag. Leave me alone to my thoughts, now they're much more fun than talking to some mental skank like you."_

"Apparently Izurukuma was a student who was experimented on and studied by the scientists of Hope's Peak Academy in the hope to unlock the secret of natural talent and lead the world into a brighter future with a sort of super humanity. Izurukuma was nothing more than a lab rat. A failed first attempt to achieve that experiment, the Hope Cultivation Project or as it was more commonly known the Izuru Kamukuma Project. Izurukuma wasn't even his real name, the scientists of Hope's Peak Academy just replaced his original name with the name of the original founder of Hope's Peak Academy."

"The purpose for the experiment was to give Izurukuma every talent and skill imaginable, anything that he did once he automatically would become a master at. However some complications with changing the personality of the student whose life the scientists stole resulted in Izurukuma being reborn with a very short attention span and a horrid personality. He wouldn't waste his time on anything that didn't interest him for more than five seconds."

"Junkokuma lasted about ten minutes so that was a record in Izurukuma's book. Whether it was life or death it didn't matter to Izurukuma, nothing mattered to him. He was neither a believer nor a cynic, neither light nor dark. Just a person with limitless amounts of despair and no will to use it. He was truly alone in the world and he knew this, but because of the way he acted he never attempted to become close to anyone ever again and instead became the enigmatic student titled the Ultimate Hope. And Junkokuma, being the Ultimate Despair, didn't take too kindly to being the butt of Izurukuma's joke. At that point she vowed that she would return, and when that time came she would force that terrible brooding boy to kneel at her feet and beg for forgiveness like a dog!"

"Junkokuma was plotting to get revenge on Izurukuma for waving her off like a damn insect. She needed Izurukuma to fulfill her despair lust, no other person's despair could satisfy her as much as he did. Just being in the same room with him gave her chills all throughout her body. But to get him to obey her she would need to show him the true reach of her power, she needed to do something big. Something despairingly awful. Something that would let people know that Ultimate Despair did indeed exist. It was almost time. She would have to move up the schedule for the killing game. That would be the only thing that could heat things up fast enough. Then with Izurukuma at her disposal she could take over all of Hope's Peak Academy, and then when the school that was declared the hope of the world was under her control the sky was the limit. She would be able to corrupt every single bit of hope and usher in mass despairia."

Monokuma flipped the page to show a pop-up picture of five Monokuma kids who were about to commit suicide by jumping off the school roof. One Monokuma kid had spiky red hair and wore a pair of headphones, another was well-dressed and had light blue hair, another had light pink hair tied into twin tails and wore a little pair of devil horns, and one wore an odd mask that seemed befitting of a deep sea diver. And the last Monokuma kid was a girl with short light green hair who sat in an electric wheelchair. "Then a little while later Junkokuma came across yet another seed of despair in the form of Hope's Peak Academy's elementary school."

"One day she stumbled across five children who were planning to commit suicide. There was Masarukuma who was known as Lil' Ultimate P.E., Nagisakuma who was known as Lil' Ultimate Social Studies, Kotokokuma who was known as Lil' Ultimate Drama, Jatarokuma who was known as Lil' Ultimate Art, and Monocakuma who was known as Lil' Ultimate Homeroom. The five kids were all severely abused by their parents and all the adult figures in their lives, which made them utterly despise the adults of the world. So they planned to commit suicide because they didn't see the point of living in a world that was ruled by adults. Luckily, Junkokuma stopped them before it was too late. And that's when she saw that look in one of the kids' eyes, the look of a thirst for despair. Monocakuma's eyes, they were just like hers. That's when she knew the truth behind this little group suicide. Apparently Monocakuma had talked the other four kids into going through with this, and she was most likely planning to back out in the end and enjoy the despair on the other four kids' faces as they realized they had been tricked. Monocakuma was just like her, broken and decrepit beyond repair. The little girl wanted the whole world to despair as much as she did. She had to have her as her toy, not only was she so cute but also a mini version of her, she was perfect!"

"So Junkokuma came up with a plan to use the kids to her advantage and said that they shouldn't be punishing themselves for the sins of the adults, they should be punishing the adults themselves for making them feel this way. She claimed that they should think of the adults as demons who deserved to be destroyed and then went on to say that she planned to turn the world into a paradise in which kids would rule and all the adults would be killed so they could never hurt anyone ever again. And then she asked the kids if they would join her cause. The four children who were tricked by Monocakuma instantly believed Junkokuma's words and began to think of her as their big sister and savior, but Monocakuma knew better."

"The devil child knew that Junkokuma was just trying to use the others to get to her, she needed her, and nobody had ever needed poor Monocakuma before. Her father was the head of a prestigious company and had an affair with a mistress while he was married. The mistress being Monocakuma's mother. When she was very young her mother abandoned her in the care of her father and his family where she was immediately seen as the black sheep and the outcast in their lives. Her own half-brother even referred to her as an alien. Monocakuma's only joy came from making people feel as bad as she felt and tricking them into amusing her. Sympathy and admiration were the only ways she was able to gain any sort of feeling from people at all. Even if everything about her persona was fake, as long as she could get people on her side she didn't care what she had to do. Her need to be loved turned into a dark desire that warped her fragile little mind into that of a monster."

"Which was why she faked being handicapped in order to gain sympathy. And it worked splendidly, everyone around her began to fall in love with the poor defenseless girl. The title of Lil' Ultimate Homeroom suited her the best. And upon meeting Junkokuma, Monocakuma realized that Junkokuma Onee-chan was just like her. So of course she joined her so she could remain by her side until the end of time. And much to Junkokuma's delight, Monocakuma's family turned out to be one of the most influential and wealthy machine manufactures in all of Japan, so Junkokuma merely used her as means to an end as well. If she had power in a company like that then she could have the power to spread despair on a global scale. With Monocakuma as a member of Ultimate Despair her plans were almost complete. All that was left to get Izurukuma on her side and ignite a spark to throw the school into turmoil."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of the outside of a classroom.  
Nothing was happening. "Then the world seemed to stop all at once. Ultimate Despair let Hope's Peak Academy know that they were real and that they meant business. Junkokuma would show the world her despair and show Izurukuma that she would crush him if he did not join her." Monokuma flipped the page again and showed a pop-up picture of Izurukuma approaching the classroom and then going inside. "Izurukuma was summoned to a classroom on the fifth floor of the academy's main building for some unknown reason, now Izurukuma was smart and knew that it could be dangerous, but deciding that it might entertain him if only for a few seconds he went to the classroom anyway. And he didn't come out for seven whole days."

Monokuma turned the page again and showed a pop-up picture of a blood-soaked Izurukuma staggering out of the classroom. And then he flipped it again and the pop-up image showed a close up of the inside of the classroom. Blood was everywhere and there were thirteen bloody corpses lying on the floor along with one other student who wasn't dead yet but was unconscious. "Nobody really knows what happened when Izurukuma set foot into that classroom, but from the evidence found inside by the higher-ups of Hope's Peak it appeared that including Izurukuma the fourteen members of Hope's Peak Academy's student council were also inside that room, and besides the student council president, Soshunkuma, who was put into a deep coma from the trauma that he experienced, all the other students had been killed in the most horrific way."

"And nobody ever saw Izurukuma again, that is until Junkokuma was ready for him to come and kiss her feet apologetically. Until then he knew that he had to stay quiet and out of sight because Junkokuma could…and definitely would if given the chance…do something like that to him again. And he was right, this event was only the beginning, the beginning of the end. It became known as the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy and the beginning of much bigger Tragedy in the making.

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Yasukekuma working on his memory erasing machine. "A month passed with nary a word. The higher-ups of Hope's Peak Academy went to great lengths to cover up the Tragedy from the student body, as well as the Reserve Department and the world outside the academy's walls. No one knew what exactly happened to the thirteen students who died, the cover up was that they were kidnapped but hardly anyone really believed that."

"No, the only people who knew about what went on inside that classroom of blood and chaos were the two survivors, Izurukuma and Soshunkuma, and of course the ringleaders of Ultimate Despair, who the higher-ups of Hope's Peak Academy still refused to admit existed. The only ones who could fill in the gaps were Izurukuma and Soshunkuma, and since Izurukuma had disappeared unexpectedly and they were trying to keep his existence a cover up as well the higher-ups had no choice but to wait until Soshunkuma, the Ultimate Student Council President, regained consciousness."

"Meanwhile, Yasukekuma had finally finished his part of Junkokuma's master plan and had harnessed the ability to erase memories. All that was left was the test subject. A part that Junkokuma volunteered for herself, much to Yasukekuma's relief. He had still not given up on his plan to save Junkokuma from herself." Monokuma flipped the page again and showed a picture of Junkokuma giving Yasukekuma a notebook that she had written. "The plan was simple. Junkokuma would have her memories erased for a brief time and then use a notebook that described all her acts of despair to re-jog her memory and then remind her who she was." Monokuma flipped to the next page which showed a picture of Junkokuma putting on a helmet that Yasukekuma gave her and then Yasukekuma throwing a switch and turning on his machine.

"The machine whirred and sparks flied, and then after a few moments Yasukekuma turned off the machine and helped Junkokuma take off the helmet, upon seeing that she had fainted from the experience. When she opened her eyes again she smiled softly at Yasukekuma and then said _"Hello, who are you?"_ in a voice that didn't match Junkokuma's personality. Yasukekuma smiled and realized that it had worked, Junkokuma couldn't remember a thing. But one trace of her old life remained. That notebook, as long as she had that she would eventually remember her old life and her endless despair lust."

"Thinking on his feet, Yasukekuma quickly swapped out Junkokuma's notebook for one that he wrote himself that was filled with false memories and a false identity for the newly created girl. Ryokokuma. It helped further his plan that there were some bugs with his machine, causing Ryokokuma's memory to be unstable, meaning she wouldn't be able to retain anything or remember anything without a constant reminder. Thus Yasukekuma's notebook became the only means of her memory being retained, that and Yasukekuma himself whom Ryokokuma believed she could trust with all her heart."

"Yasukekuma helped to hide her appearance by completely changing her physical outlook and giving her long red hair. Then he went before the higher-ups of Hope's Peak Academy and begged that this girl be allowed to enroll in the academy. The higher-ups agreed on the condition that Yasukekuma look into the status of the comatose Soshunkuma and monitor him until he woke up. Yasukekuma agreed and for a few months Junkokuma began her life daily as Ryokokuma, completely unaware that anything was amiss. And Junkokuma disappeared from the face of the Earth, leaving Ultimate Despair in confusion. All except for one that is."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Mukurokuma dressing up as Junkokuma and putting on a blonde wig to disguise herself as her sister. "Mukurokuma discovered Yasukekuma's betrayal of her sister and sought out to bring her back to her senses by reminding her who she really was and even killing people to remind her just how deep her despair lust was. And ever so slowly the effects of despair began to take hold of Ryokokuma and Junkokuma began to reemerge."

Monokuma flipped the page again and showed a pop-up picture of Yasukekuma killing Soshunkuma. "Meanwhile, Soshunkuma suddenly woke up and Yasukekuma had to find out if he remembered what happened in the Tragedy. He asked Soshunkuma if he knew Junkokuma and at the mere mention of the name Soshunkuma's expression changed to terror. Soshunkuma remembered everything, he could reveal that Junkokuma was the cause of the Tragedy and Yasukekuma could not allow that. Soshunkuma had to die. So Yasukekuma killed him to protect the false persona of his murdering girlfriend. Talk about obsession, am I right?"

Monokuma flipped the page again to show a pop-up picture of Ryokokuma killing Yasukekuma. "But despite his efforts, it appeared that Yasukekuma's desire to save Junkokuma was no match for the Despair Sisters united despair. And in the end Ryokokuma discovered that Yasukekuma was lying to her all along and that the memory notebook he gave her was nothing but a sham. In a fit of despair over not knowing who she really was, Ryokokuma ended up stabbing Yasukekuma over and over again until he was dead and kicking him and kicking him until his corpse became an unrecognizable bloody mess. And then amidst the despair of killing the man she loved the Queen of Despair returned. Junkokuma was back and better than ever!"

"Out of Yasukekuma's betrayal Junkokuma got to experience the greatest despair she had ever felt before, killing the one she loved. Yes that's right, in her own twisted way Junkokuma really did love Yasukekuma, but still he tried to deny her despair and that was a big no-no. So he had to die, and so did everyone else who felt the need to deny Junkokuma of her despair. And after that things seemed all but lost. Junkokuma leaked the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy outside the school and there was shock and outrage all abound. From the Reserve Department especially. Which Junkokuma used to her advantage and managed to convince the talentless students that if they gave the school something big enough and incapable of ignoring the fallout would be exponential. She suggested a mass suicide, and after a little convincing all the Reserve Department students dropped like rocks. All 2,357 of them."

"Everyone in the world backlashed at the academy. The outside world demanded justice for the deaths of the innocents so the school released the name of the only person who escaped the Tragedy to save their own hides. Izurukuma was declared the sole culprit of a mass murder of thirteen Hope's Peak Academy students and Soshunkuma who was killed later on. He was declared a monster for an event that he had almost nothing to do with."

"And by the time people did realize who was really responsible for the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, Ultimate Despair latched its hooks into any person who had despair inside of them. And soon the crime and murder rate across the country sky-rocketed, people claimed that if a school like Hope's Peak Academy could protect murderers and get away with it then why should they have to act any different from them? Society's moral line had become blurred beyond recognition, and then soon it spread worldwide. Mass despairia spread like wild fire. Ultimate Despair grew and grew until people started doing horrible, unspeakable acts solely for the purpose of giving Junkokuma and themselves despair."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Izurukuma begging for forgiveness from Junkokuma by kneeling at her feet. "And then when all was said and done, Izurukuma reared his ugly mug again and begged for forgiveness from Junkokuma for ever dismissing off her as annoying and unappealing. He swore his allegiance to her on the grounds that she would protect him from the people who were out for his head. She accepted on the condition that the Ultimate Hope always remain loyal to her, and in the event of her untimely death he would do whatever seemed necessary to make her legacy live on. Hope would sacrifice itself for despair at all costs. And in his darkest hour, Izurukuma made a deal with the devil and accepted Junkokuma's terms."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Junkokuma's face plastered over the planet Earth as a dark aura surrounded it. "People were killed in broad daylight, violence and crime reached all new highs, wars were fought for nothing but the sake of fighting, and blood was spilled for no other reason than sick enjoyment. The world went to hell and so did all of its peoples' sense of morals and order."

"Ultimate Despair caked the earth and showed no signs of ever stopping, it appeared that the world was doomed. The fallout became known as the Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind. But it still wasn't enough despair, nowhere near enough despair for Junkokuma. No, in order to grow even more despair she had to instill seeds of hope inside people, hope for a better future that would make people think for even the tiniest moment that things were going to be okay someday, and then smash that hope into a million fucking pieces!"

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of a future Hope's Peak Academy that was boarded up and reinforced with steel, both to keep people out and to keep people in. "In a last ditch effort to preserve humanity, the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, Jin Kirikuma, prosed a project to the survivors of humanity to save sixteen youths from the despair that had consumed a great deal of the world. The youths chosen for the project were the members of the 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy, but the headmaster as well as the other members of the 78th class were unaware that two of the chosen students were the ringleaders of Ultimate Despair. Junkokuma and Mukurokuma. After the headmaster had each student's agreement to stay in the academy for potentially their whole lives, he got to work and helped the students seal themselves inside the academy to protect themselves from the horrible mess that remained of the outside world. But this act would eventually prove to be their undoing."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Junkokuma and Mukurokuma with their creation, the mascot for despair, Monokuma. "With the help of Monocakuma's family's technology company, the Despair Sisters were able to invent a mechanized menace who was as deadly as he was cute. Yours truly. And after everyone left inside the academy was unsuspecting, they made their strike and initiated the final phase of Junkokuma's Despairification of Humanity project. The School Life of Mutual Killing, an academic colosseum in which they would erase the other students' memories using Yasukekuma's technology and then have them kill each other with the reward of leaving the academy for the victor, who would get a big dose of despair in the end when they realized there was nothing left out there and their friends got picked off for no reason whatsoever."

"It was a sick pun that only a person who was part of Ultimate Despair could enjoy. Making the poor students despair over loosing contact with a lost world, over never getting to see their friends and family again who were either already in hiding or dead, over secrets that didn't even matter anymore, over worthless things like greed and betrayal, things that had no meaning in the real world anymore. Having them kill off each other one by one, and then having they them find the killer with threat of being killed themselves. Suspecting one another constantly and always being on edge, it was all such delicious despair. The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy would be a mere footnote compared to the Tragedy of the Killing School Life."

Monokuma flipped to the next page which showed a pop-up picture of himself being controlled by Junkokuma and Mukurokuma and tying up the headmaster for his execution. "The first step was to get rid of the headmaster so their game could proceed. Though it would have been fun to watch the headmaster be forced to watch his own flesh and blood daughter, Kyokokuma, compete in the game he had been a thorn in Junkokuma's side for far too long, so he had to be punished for defying the Queen of Despair. They executed him by shooting him into a rocket and then letting gravity finish him off with a big crash and bang, leaving behind only a skeleton as the remains of the poor unsuspecting headmaster."

Monokuma flipped to the next page which showed a pop-up picture of Junkokuma and Mukurokuma erasing the memories of each and every other member of the 78th class. "With the headmaster out of the way it was time to start erasing every single memory that the 78th class had gained over the past two years and reverting them back to who they were when they met on that first day of school oh so long ago. But when it seemed like the Killing School Life was about to officially begin, Mukurokuma started to get cold feet. They were about to kill their best friends, the people they had known for the past two years just to prove a point to the world that despair always triumphs over hope. And yet Junkokuma couldn't care less about what happened to the other fourteen students, and that was when she recalled Mukurokuma's little crush on Makotokuma."

Monokuma flipped to the next page which showed a pop-up picture of Junkokuma giving Mukurokuma a blonde wig. "Junkokuma admitted that she knew about Mukurokuma's crush and filled her with a newfound resolve by telling Mukurokuma that if she went through with this then she would make sure that her and Makotokuma were the last two students standing in the game and that they would be able to live out the rest of their lives in the academy as a proverbial Adam and Eve."

"All she had to do was disguise herself as Junkokuma and pretend to be her for a brief time, just until Junkokuma could incite the first murder and then she would have Mukurokuma reveal herself and say that she knew the secret to beating the Mastermind AKA Junkokuma. Then both girls would lead every single one of the other students into despair and incite murder until all that remained was Mukurokuma and Makotokuma."

"So Mukurokuma begrudgingly accepted her new assignment, she loved her friends but she loved her sister and Makotokuma more. She did love Makotokuma, she realized that a while back when all that was left around them was destruction. The only time that Mukurokuma felt at peace was when she was with Makotokuma, even when he wasn't aware she was there. Him and her other classmates were precious to her but Junkokuma was still her sister. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water."

Monokuma flipped to the next page to show a pop-up picture of Sayakakuma trying to stab Leonkuma with a kitchen knife. "And so the game began! Under Junkokuma's instruction I introduced myself to her classmates as their headmaster and told them all about the game known as the Killing School Life, and that the only way they could get out was to kill someone! It took a few days and a little pushing but I finally got Sayakakuma to snap when I showed her what happened to her pop star group while she was stuck inside the academy, causing her to go stir crazy and try to kill Leonkuma and frame Makotokuma by committing the crime in his room." Monokuma flipped the page again and showed the result of that action which was a pop-up picture of Leonkuma breaking Sayakakuma's wrist and then stabbing her to death. "However, the action had the exact opposite result and Sayakakuma ended up being the first victim instead."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed Mukurokuma, disguised as Junkokuma, being killed with the Spears of Gungnir for picking a fight with Monokuma. "But then another poor girl ended up dying that day. The disappointing older sister Mukurokuma didn't realize that her little sister was planning to betray her from the beginning until it was too late. The original plan was to backtalk me and pick a fight with me so Junkokuma could lock Mukurokuma up in a dungeon and have her be an example to the other students about what happens they break the rules. But Junkokuma's real plan was to execute her sister as an example that she would kill anyone who did not play along with her game. So Mukurokuma died as an unknown martyr in the eyes of her classmates, without ever getting to tell Makotokuma how she felt. But the fun didn't end for the other students that day, someone else still had to die. And it would either be the culprit who killed Sayakakuma or everyone else. It was up to them to figure out whodunit in the best part of the Killing school Life, the class trial!"

Monokuma flipped the page to show a pop-up picture of Leonkuma being accused as the killer at the class trial and then getting executed by being pelted with baseballs. "And the person to die was Leonkuma, but the other students were treated to an equal does of despair as they were forced to watch as Leonkuma was executed in a horrific but disgustingly comedic way. And it only got worse for them from there."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Chihirokuma being crucified in the girl's locker room. "The next person to die was Chihirokuma, and after doing some digging Makotokuma managed to single out who the killer was as well as the person who tried to manipulate the crime scene and frame someone else. Byakuyakuma admitted to enjoying the game and trying to make the mystery more interesting by framing the murder on the serial killer Genocide Jackkuma, who was later revealed to be the alternate personality of Tokokuma. But in actuality the killer was identified as Mondokuma who killed Chihirokuma in a fit of rage because the weaker student was willing to reveal his deep dark secret that he was really a crossdressing boy and Mondokuma was too weak to reveal the fact that he was responsible for his older brother's death. Both boys suffered from weak complexes, a rock met a hard place and the end was history."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Mondokuma being executed in a motorcycle death cage. "Thus Mondokuma was executed and the other students were able to live to see another day, but that victory was extremely short-lived as even more problems were headed their way."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of a laptop with Chihirokuma's face on it. "Although a little good came out of all the bad stuff, Chihirokuma had left a little present for the other students in the form of an AI named Alter Egokuma, who was able to help the students learn more about the so-called Mastermind who controlled me. But like I said their victory was short lived, Hifumikuma and Kiyotakakuma began to argue over Alter Egokuma because they had both developed a strange attachment to the AI. And one of the other students saw this as a play they could use to their advantage. Celestiakuma, the Ultimate Gambler who up until that point had maintained a poker face that she was fine with her current situation of being forced to stay in the academy indefinitely. But this was a lie she told the others and herself all along, the truth was that she hated the academy more than anyone else and wanted to do anything possible to get out. So she used Hifumikuma's connection to Alter Egokuma to her advantage and claimed that Kiyotakakuma was planning to kill Hifumikuma and leave the academy with Alter Egokuma, which enraged Hifumikuma and made him agree to help Celestiakuma with her plan for them both to commit separate murders and blame them on one specific student, Yasuhirokuma."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Celestiakuma bashing Hifumikuma's head in with a hammer. "A plan that backfired on him immensely. Celestiakuma ended up killing Hifumikuma after he killed Kiyotakakuma and framed Yasuhirokuma so she could commit a murder of her own, the victim of which ended up being Hifumikuma."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Celestiakuma being executed by being burned at the stake like the witch she was…and then being crushed with a large firetruck. "But Celestiakuma's plan ended up being sniffed out by the combined efforts of Makotokuma and Byakuyakuma at the third class trial, getting her not only to admit defeat but also getting her to drop her vampire chick act and admit her real name, Taekokuma. And then she received her just desserts for tricking everyone and treating her so called friends like they were nothing but worthless, broken poker chips."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Sakurakuma lying dead in the rec room. "And the next murder committed was due to the betrayal that Sakurakuma made to the group by being a spy for the Mastermind, which was revealed by none other than me as the students' next motive for murder. Sakurakuma's job was to keep tabs on the other students and to originally first incite murder into the group, a job which was already completed by Sayakakuma who fired the first shot of the Killing School Life. Her betrayal caused Aoikuma, who was Sakurakuma's best friend, to despair greatly which was taken advantage of by the Mastermind into making Aoikuma cover up pieces of evidence that showed who Sakurakuma's killer was."

"Byakuyakuma ended up misinterpreting the evidence and made the conclusion that Aoikuma killed Sakurakuma because of his strong disbelief in silly things like friendship. However, Makotokuma and Kyokokuma ended up determining that Aoikuma covered up evidence to falsely accuse herself and make herself look like the killer just so she could hide Sakurakuma's true cause of death, suicide. And that was when I revealed that Sakurakuma killed herself not because she was upset for being despised as a spy but because she wanted everyone to stop fighting and be at peace so there would not be any more murders. And Aoikuma fell for my plot hook, line, and sinker!"

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Alter Egokuma being crushed by an earth excavator operated by Monokuma. "However, just because the victim herself committed the murder didn't mean that there would be no execution. Someone else got to join the game as a special guest player, and then they got themselves instantly executed."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Byakuyakuma, Makotokuma, Tokokuma, Aoikuma, and Yasuhirokuma coming across the body of a mystery person who had an odd mask on to hide their face. "However, after Sakurakuma's sacrifice the six remaining students decided that they would no longer be a part of the Mastermind's game, even Byakuyakuma who had shown a real fascination in playing the Killing School Life decided that he was done playing along. That did not sit well with the Mastermind though. Desperate to incite murder and get rid of the annoying Ultimate Detective Kyokokuma, the Mastermind decided to frame her for murder by reusing an already dead body and claiming that it was the missing sixteenth student, Mukurokuma, who at the time nobody realized had already died once as Junkokuma."

"But during the fifth class trial Makotokuma did something that the Mastermind did not expect and kept silent when Kyokokuma lied on the stand, causing Makotokuma to be voted as the killer and a forced execution to occur to hide the Mastermind's mistake. But thanks to some interfering from Alter Egokuma who managed to hack into the academy's network before his laptop was crushed, Makotokuma managed to survive and come back for one final class trial against the Mastermind herself. But one final trick almost forced the newfound alliance the six students gained to come tumbling down, when several of the students began to suspect that the Mastermind was everyone except for them, even Makotokuma started to have his doubts about his friends. But none the less, that stupid Makotokuma just wouldn't give in and kept trying to search for the truth and chose to believe in his friends. That idiotic Makotokuma just didn't know when to give up! So damn annoying!"

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of Monokuma being replaced by Junkokuma. "Makotokuma eventually figured out the secret behind Mukurokuma's death and the person responsible. He found out that the true cause of death for Mukurokuma was a series of scattered wounds all over her body, which perfectly matched the Spears of Gungnir that stabbed Junkokuma before the very first class trial. That was when Makotokuma realized that Mukurokuma was dressed up as Junkokuma at the time of her death, which proved that the Junkokuma they met on the first day of the game was really Mukurokuma the whole time, and that meant that the missing sixteenth student was the real Junkokuma. Makotokuma called her out and then Junkokuma appeared, shocking the other students unbelievably so. Junkokuma praised Makotokuma for being the one to solve the mystery and she admitted that she didn't think the likes of him would possibly survive for this long in the game."

"But her fun wasn't over yet, Junkokuma demanded that before the students would be given the opportunity to leave the academy they had to solve the two big mysteries of the Killing School Life. One. What did Junkokuma do to them besides force them into the game? And two. Did they really even want to go back to the outside world? At first the students did not know what Junkokuma meant but then she started to explain everything about herself, how she and her sister were the very beginning of Ultimate Despair and how their combined forces caused the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy which happened right in the main school building on the fifth floor. In the blood soaked room that still had the stench of death inside of it, classroom 5-C. They still didn't understand so Junkokuma had to spell it out very clearly for them. The Tragedy did not occur before they came to the academy like they thought previously, no the Tragedy happened while they were already students at the academy. But they still didn't understand how that could be possible when they had just started school on the day the game began. And then a frightening thought came to Makotokuma."

" _The thing you did to us? You stole our memories didn't you?"_ he asked with shock, getting an affirmation out of Junkokuma. She admitted to stealing their memories and having them black out with amnesia as a result. In reality they had been students of Hope's Peak Academy for over two years, not just a few weeks. Which is why their confirmation of time was so wonky. The students didn't want to believe it at first but in the end they had no choice but to accept it as the truth, since the evidence proving it was too great. And then Junkokuma revealed to them that the reason they were stuck inside the academy wasn't because she put them there, it was because they themselves had agreed to be locked inside. And then she gave them a glimpse of what the outside world was like and told them all about how Ultimate Despair had caused the world to turn upside down. They agreed to be locked inside the academy to protect themselves from this travesty and hopefully one day return to the world and help to rebuild it after everything calmed down."

"Junkokuma told them that even though most of the world was filled with despair there were still some people out there who believed in a hopeful future and that was why she started the Killing School Life to show that even Hope's Peak Academy's precious students of hope could be dragged into the pits of despair when push came to shove. And so she hijacked all the major broadcasting networks to broadcast the events of the Killing School Life all over the world in glorious HD, filling any wandering rubes who still had a sense of hope with oodles of despair that even the humanity's last hope could give into despair."

"Then she asked them that now knowing how the world outside really was if they really wanted to leave the academy and take the chance of surviving in that now dead world. Junkokuma said that if they just gave up then she could erase their memories again and they would go back to living in isolation in the academy for the rest of their days, without ever knowing the horrible things about the outside world. All they had to do was stop defying her and instead execute someone she could make an example out of. Makotokuma, the so-called wonder boy Lucky Student. All the other students had to do was find Makotokuma guilty and they could go back to living in peace…and the other students almost gave into Junkokuma's overwhelming despair. But Makotokuma still did not give up and he accused Junkokuma of lying about the outside world, claiming that he wouldn't believe the world was gone until he saw it with his own eyes. His hope for a better world rallied the others into siding with him and finding Junkokuma guilty of crimes against humanity. The other students of the 78th class decided to side with the Ultimate Lucky…no, Ultimate Hope and punish Ultimate Despair. And thus Junkokuma's plan failed and she was forced to execute herself. Which was…"

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of an excited Junkokuma getting ready to press the big red button that would start her execution. "Fantastic! Nothing was more despairingly wonderful than that moment, not her first kill, nor causing the Tragedy, nor killing the one she loved, nor having Izurukuma bow to her feet, nor starting the Killing School Life, nor even killing her own flesh and blood sister could compare to that moment. That one moment where she would taste the most delicious despair of all would be the peak of ecstasy, the despair of her own death! So incredibly wonderful! So Junkokuma pressed the button without hesitation and was forced to endure every single execution she held one by one until she was crushed, leaving the winning students with the key to the exit."

Monokuma flipped to the next page and showed a pop-up picture of the six remaining students leaving the academy. "Then Makotokuma, Byakuyakuma, Kyokokuma, Aoikuma, Tokokuma, and Yasuhirokuma decided that it was time to go and with little hesitation they freed themselves from the hellhole known as the Killing School Life. Those six individuals were responsible for Lady Junkokuma's death so naturally Ultimate Despair and most of the world were furious and at the same time filled with despair. Most of Ultimate Despair committed suicide in Lady Junkokuma's name, claiming that they would rejoin her in the afterlife; and the ones that clung to life did everything they could to honor her, they caused even more mayhem for her, they cut off her body parts and replaced them with their own, and some even attempted to have children with her corpse. It was all very disgusting and bloody, just as Lady Junkokuma taught them to be."

Then Monokuma closed the book and sat it back down on the nightstand. And then he took his reading glasses off and placed them on top of the book. Then he looked back at the camera and sighed in fulfillment. "Ah, now wasn't that a fun story? Eh, what's that? You're asking me if there's more to the story? Of course there's more you dumb blockheads! But if we went into every single fucking detail we'd be here all fucking day! Even though we have control of every single damn channel we still have a time slot to keep so don't be nitpicky about extra details! I told you everything that's important, the rest you'll find out along the way! Okay?! Good!" Then he cleared his throat.

"Ahem, now where was I? Oh yes! It's been a few years since Lady Junkokuma…oops, no more story time…I mean Lady Junko passed away and now there is so little despair left in the world now. Most of Ultimate Despair is either dead or has been captured by the numbskulls of the Future Foundation, which those six fucking students we read about made extremely popular with those who are still believers of hope. But you know what? I still believe in despair! And so does my master! Oops, shh not telling who. It's a secret." Monokuma giggled and then he stood up in his chair.

"Now then, for those of you who managed to stay awake and read the whole intro congratulations are in order. You will now be given the special prize of seeing the lucky participants for this next Mutual Killing Game, yippee! And for those of you who skipped to the end I curse you with all the despair my little bear body can muster! And for those of you who were skimming through and just wanted to hear the gist of the intro so you can get to the main story, joke's on you! It hasn't been made yet! We're still getting things started so we won't be ready until…" Monokuma looked away from the camera and turned to his left. "Wait, when are we starting again?" he asked in a whisper.

"Two weeks at the latest?!" Then he turned back to the camera and started to weep. "Oh boy, now I'm upset too. I wanted to see some killing. Some suspicion, and some mystery too. Oh well, looks like we'll just have to settle for this continuous loop of film reel until the main even starts. That's right remember we have control of all your broadcast networks? No regular TV, just despair, a boring story about the history of despair. Until then here's the names of the participants, that's all folks."

* * *

 _You're watching Despair TV. We would like to thank you for you continued viewership and would like to apologize for the patience you will be forced to use till the show begins. The next Mutual Killing Game will start real soon, and for you numbskulls of the Future Foundation it will be worse than the events of Jabberwock Island, for anyone else reading this back the f**k off that last line doesn't concern you! Now here are the names of our lucky participants. Be alarmed, some of them have already died. But wait, how are they alive? Four simple words._

FIND OUT AFTER GRADUATION!

* * *

MUKURO IKUSABA

 **Talent:** Ultimate Soldier

 **Basic Information:** Despite being an incredible soldier, Mukuro is very out-of-touch with her own emotions and only knows how to take orders from Junko. She mainly acts emotionless and indifferent to everyone except Makoto and Junko. Mukuro craves her sister's praise and acceptance and will do nearly anything to get it. Because of this, Mukuro allows herself to be constantly put down by Junko and takes her insults to heart. Which ended up with her getting betrayed and skewered by her little sister with those damn Spears of Gungnir.

Mukuro believes she is the only one who truly understands her sister, so she stays by Junko's side even when she insults her. Mukuro admits that she lacks skill in negotiating with others and planning tactics in advance, despite her renown as an excellent soldier. She is a nice girl when you get to know her but she can also kill you if you look at her the wrong way. Beware of girls who use weapons professionally!

 **Current Status:** Alive?

* * *

YASUKE MATSUDA

 **Talent:** Ultimate Neurologist

 **Basic Information:** Yasuke is quite mean, rude, and sharp-tongued. He is notably sarcastic and witty, yet he acts unusually anxious around the topic of The Tragedy. He and Junko are childhood friends and he won't outright admit it but he does truly love her. So much so that he tried to save her from herself by turning her into a girl named Ryoko Otonashi, which ended up with him getting killed by Junko as well.

 **Current Status:** Alive?

* * *

MICHO AURUKA – OC by FreezeThunder

 **Talent:** Ultimate Defense Attorney

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

SOSHUN MURASAME

 **Talent:** Ultimate Student Council President

 **Basic Information:** Despite being an important character we know little to nothing about him save for the fact that he was involved in the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy along with Izuru Kamukura and thirteen other students. He ended up being killed by Yasuke who was trying to cover for Junko.

 **Current Status:** Alive?

* * *

CHIHIRO FUJISAKI

 **Talent:** Ultimate Programmer

 **Basic Information:** Chihiro has a small, lithe stature and doll-like appearance, which just fuels the misconception that he is a girl. He has a meek and timid personality and is very shy around others, especially girls considering the fact that he is actually a boy. On the other hand, Chihiro has a deep-rooted complex over being looked down on by others as being "weak", which he tried to escape from by becoming a girl but that didn't help at all. His complex happened as a result to memories and experiences from his childhood where he was frequently told to act tougher due to him being designated male at birth. Aside from this, Chihiro loves to talk about anything related to his work as a programmer. He is very cunning and intelligent when push comes to shove. He is also a very kind person and he couldn't bear to hurt even a mosquito.

 **Current Status:** Alive?

* * *

IZURU KAMUKURA

 **Talent:** Ultimate Hope

 **Basic Information:** Hope's Peak academy was established for the sake of cultivating personal talent in order to create a perfect genius, who would be the hope of mankind. For many years, the academy researched the talents of the Ultimates. This project was named the Hope Cultivation Plan, though it was also called the Izuru Kamukura Project after the academy's founder.

Soon, the researchers were finally able to reach the experimental stage of the project. From there, they set their sights on the reserve course dropouts to use them as lab rats, as their plan to create talent artificially required test subjects that are wholly lacking in talent. From that group of Reserve Department students, the one who was finally chosen was Hajime Hinata, because he admired Hope's Peak Academy more than everybody else.

However, Hope's Peak Academy exploited Hajime's feelings of admiration toward hope and talent just to use him as a lab rat. All of his senses, emotions, thoughts, and feelings that could interfere with acquiring talent were excised. And all of his memories of the past were forcefully suppressed into the darkest recesses of his mind. By directly interfering with his brain, the academy transformed Hajime into a completely different person whose specialty was talent itself. He was meant to be the fruit of all the research, a genius among geniuses possessing various talents, and he was named Izuru Kamukura after the founder of the academy.

Izuru was known as the symbol of mankind's hope and he was given the title of Ultimate Hope. To protect such rare talent, the academy completely concealed all evidence of Izuru's origins and identity. Izuru kick-started The Tragedy when he, along with the fourteen members of Hope's Peak's student council, were used by Junko Enoshima to participate in the first ever Mutual Killing Game known as The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. The academy concealed the incident and it's a common misconception that Izuru was personally responsible for all the deaths and that he acted in cold blood, but it's actually implied that he acted solely in self-defense.

Due to the drastic changes that the scientists made to turn Hajime into Izuru, his original personality was suppressed so as to not interfere with his talent cultivation, making him appear as a cold and emotionless person who finds everything and everyone boring. He expresses a disgust for talentless people that oppress those with talent instead of acknowledging their "true superiors". He believes that such people brought the world to a deadlock and created a world that has stopped evolving. At one point he even mentions that this way of thinking was taught to him by his "teachers".

Izuru appears to enjoy unpredictability, which can make him feel more emotional, but he quickly grows bored because his immense talent and intuition causes him to quickly predict things with surprising accuracy. Izuru also has the ability to read people from the second he looks at them, as he can immediately figure out a person's true nature from one interaction with them.

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

KEIKO AKASAKA – OC by dashunterman

 **Talent:** Ultimate Croupier

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

BEIGOMA KIYOSHI – OC by hirowriter

 **Talent:** Ultimate Quote Keeper

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

NAGITO KOMAEDA

 **Talent:** Ultimate Lucky Student

 **Basic Information:** Nagito first comes off as a polite, meek and harmless yet somewhat insecure boy, who encourages others to be hopeful and cooperate. He appears unusually carefree, though he claims to be a pessimist. He also talks a bit strangely at times and seems to lack tact. But that's just his cover.

He truly believes that the Ultimates are capable of strengthening their own hopes by facing and beating despair, to the point of embodying hope and creating "absolute hope" that can overcome any despair. In his opinion, the talentless people, despair, and "weak hope" are just stepladders for creating stronger hope. Like Hope's Peak Academy in general, he strongly associates hope with talent and talent with worth. For him, hope is the absolute good and any deed done in the name of hope is okay, even killing. He is obsessed with his twisted idea of absolute hope, to the point that talking or hearing someone else talk about hope or in hopeful manner often renders him in a state of euphoric bliss and he has to hold himself in order to contain his excitement. He sometimes has outbursts in which his eyes darken and start to swirl and he goes on and on about hope. These outbursts are sudden and happen whenever he's triggered by something. He usually snaps out of them pretty quickly and seemingly isn't aware of what happened.

Nagito has no hope of his own and he believes he's unable to embody hope, which is why he wants to help the Ultimates embody it. He has a strong desire to be useful, he's very self-sacrificing and he genuinely believes he's doing a good thing for everyone's sake, but his ways to help are often very wrong and harmful. He considers himself worthless when compared to the other Ultimate students, almost constantly self-deprecating himself and claiming that he was born a talentless person who will never be considered anything special. Though he doesn't consider his luck a true talent, he mentions that it's the only good thing about him and he sometimes finds it very useful. He has little regard for his own well-being and doesn't care for his own life, in fact he encourages the other students to kill him as he wishes to become a stepping stone for hope and believes that dying for the sake of hope is an honor and the only way for "someone like him" to be useful to the world. He wishes to die so he could finally be free from the suffering that is caused by his luck, but at the same time he doesn't want to die a meaningless death.

Nagito generally has a laid-back demeanor, though his cheerfulness most likely isn't genuine. He can be even disturbingly optimistic and it's strongly implied that he just suppresses any real feelings of sorrow as a way to cope, since tragedies happen to him frequently. He is quite calm and he is rarely shown openly angry or scared. However, he once mentioned that he feels fear every day of his life. Moreover, killing for the sake of despair angers him greatly and so do things he considers very hopeless or insulting towards hope, the Ultimates or Hope's Peak Academy. When displeased, he can speak or act in a passive-aggressive manner.

Nagito usually tries to be polite, but he can be overly harsh and insensitive, often without realizing it as his frontotemporal dementia has caused him a lack of social awareness and lack of insight into his own behavior. Because of this, he has problems understanding how his own behavior can affect other people and he may not notice or misunderstands social hints. This causes him trouble to express himself in socially appropriate manner and often leads to other people misunderstanding what he's trying to say and vice. Other examples include his somewhat poor sense of humor, as his humor is usually odd and sometimes downright offensive (though he doesn't realize this) and he often attempts to make jokes at inappropriate times. He usually backs off if the others explain to him that his behavior is rude or he tells them not to take him so seriously. His sense of sarcasm is quite poor, too, as he sometimes mistakes mean comments for genuine compliments. He also doesn't seem to understand _why_ the others are paranoid, angry and afraid of him and he's often confused by the others' behavior, thinking that _they're_ strange. He seems to think that the others hate him just because he's a lower human being.

Nagito shows very little genuine care or interest in others, though he really does respect things like love, friendship and helping each other. He is capable of feeling genuine guilt and care for others, but this seems very rare as he is often very emotionally cold and doesn't seem to feel much remorse or grief. He's shown to be fine with tricking and manipulation and is implied to be fine with stealing. While he prefers to do things on his own, he is often very lonely and tries to join the other Ultimates in their activities. It's also been confirmed that he intentionally keeps distance from others because he wants to protect them from the disasters caused by his bad luck.

Nagito is also very cunning and smart. He's skilled at manipulating others and he sometimes "acts" exaggeratedly insane in order to trick others to perform a certain action. He also has notable deduction skills as he often solves the case long before the others. However, he doesn't want credit for this, and often acts ignorant during the trials and only gives hints as he wants to see the other Ultimates figure things out by themselves. He also does this because he wishes to stay on the side until he can determine which side has the stronger hope. He appears to dislike lying and he would rather tell the truth or speak in vague manner instead of directly lying, but he will lie if he finds it necessary.

Nagito also is very rigid and stubborn about his beliefs, but he is capable of changing his way of thinking. He is sometimes conflicted between his bizarre beliefs and his own feelings. He believes that he is worthless and doesn't deserve any kindness from others, yet he really desires to be appreciated and loved. He greatly admires the Ultimates for their talents and capability to embody hope, yet he doesn't care much about them as actual human beings and individuals. His true, biggest wish hidden under his hope obsession is to be loved by someone at least once in his life and not die all alone.

In short Nagito Komaeda has issues.

 **Current Status:** Alive?

* * *

CONNIE TAKEMI

 **Talent:** Ultimate Horologist

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

AYA KISARAGI – OC by Mikamizu Mouri

 **Talent:** Ultimate Marine Biologist

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

NATE BARON – OC by Strong Style Publications

 **Talent:** Ultimate Assassin

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

CAM YANO

 **Talent:** Ultimate AV Tech

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

AZAMI JAGAIMO – OC by Shyjoker

 **Talent:** Ultimate Oculist

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

JOSE HISTORIA – OC by hirowriter

 **Talent:** Ultimate Historian

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

JONATHAN JUNMARU – OC by Mechblade007

 **Talent:** Ultimate Procrastinator

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

NODAKA HOSHI

 **Talent:** Ultimate Maid

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

SHIRO SHIROBANE – OC by TheRoseShadow21

 **Talent:** Ultimate Set Designer

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

SAWA NANASE – OC by TheRoseShadow21

 **Talent:** Ultimate Triathlete

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

AKIRA MAITA

 **Talent:** Ultimate Wannabe

 **Basic Information:** (NO SPOILERS!)

 **Current Status:** Alive

* * *

A/N: See you next time, folks. Happy despairing!


	3. Prologue, Part 1

A/N: Alright sorry about how long the intro chapter was, I was just trying to make sure that you all knew those details going into the story because those ones will be discussed a lot during the first half of the game. And some of you may be wondering why I didn't mention _Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair_ that much or not really at all, well it's because the events of game number two were not broadcast all over the world like number one was, remember that Jabberwock Island was actually a part of the Neo World Program created by the Future Foundation and when AI Junko took control of the Neo World Program she broadcasted the events to the members of the Future Foundation who were responsible for putting the Remnants of Despair into virtual reality i.e. Makoto and the other survivors of the Killing School Life.

I saw that as AI Junko's attempt to mess with their heads by making them watch as others go through the same things they went through. But anyway the game doesn't mention that the events were broadcasted all over the world like it does in game one so I just took the impression that the Future Foundation covered up the events of what happened on Jabberwock Island so any other Remnants of Despair out there wouldn't come looking for the survivors of the Killing School Trip i.e. Hajime, Kazuichi, Fuyuhiko, Sonia, Akane, and the others who are all comatose from having their brains destroyed by dying in virtual reality. Anyway the events of game two will discussed in the second half of my game, just like they explained the events of game one in the second half of game two.

Alright now onto the story at hand. It will be mainly in first person perspective as Akira Maita, a boy who started out similar to Hajime by being in the reserve course but remained normal throughout, unlike Hajime who was brainwashed and forced to become Izuru Kamukura. But similar to the other games there will be times when it's told from a regular perspective so you can get a good look at what's happening in the background. You can never be sure that people are who they say they are.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 1: Akira Maita**

* * *

Have you ever really wondered if the grass was greener on the other side of the fence? You've probably heard that saying used at least once in your life, right? It's a pretty old saying used to show wonder of how different life can be for other people than it is for you. But for me that was a literal question. The school I went too, though it shared the same campus as that shining school, paled in comparison and didn't even cast as much of a glint. Both schools were enclosed in a brick laid pen but they were separated by an iron spike fence. The side I was on was the side of the normals, the talentless kids as "they" liked to call us. And on the other side were the others, the talented kids who excelled in every field imaginable. That was the way of the school known as Hope's Peak Academy.

For almost a hundred years this school has stood as a proverbial monument that represents the greatness that mankind could achieve, and for just as long students from all over the country… no, from all over the world wished to attend this marvel of a school. But getting in was easier said than done. There was no entrance exam you had to pass or large tuition fee that you had to pay in order to get in, no instead enrollment was based on something a lot more lacking in the world. Talent.

Pure natural talent. Hope's Peak Academy was founded by a scientist named Izuru Kamukura who believed that talent was the key to unlocking mankind's next stage of evolution. A small fraction of the people in the world were born with talent already inside of them, they only had to work so hard to achieve almost everything with their full capability. Most things came easy to them, it was almost like God had smiled down on them and gave them a wonderful gift of excelling in life itself. Izuru Kamukura wished to study that talent in the hopes of one day making all of mankind as superior as the naturally talented. A kind of super humanity if you will. So he founded a school that accepted the talentedly gifted with the purpose of studying what exactly made them tick. But even though the school was just a means to research talent it was still amazing.

The students who graduated from Hope's Peak Academy came from all walks of life, some extremely rich, some dirt poor, and some middle class like me, but they all had one thing in common. Talent. And those students would go on to become some of the most influential people in our world. CEOs, Ambassadors, leaders of all kind and people who helped to shape the world for the better. Graduation from Hope's Peak Academy practically guaranteed success in life, so if you were a person who wanted to get the most out of life how could you not want to go to a school like that?

I was already a high school student so I was eligible to attend classes at the main school, but there was just one requirement standing in my way. You must excel in every single field. In other words no talent, no entry. It didn't matter that I had decent grades, it didn't matter that I had wanted to go there since I was first able to attend school as a little kid, it didn't matter that I followed every single thing about the school online and IRL, as long as I had no talent I was not going to get in.

Sorry about this. I've just been rambling on, haven't I? Let me introduce myself now. My name is Akira Maita. Kind of a boring name I know but it's the one my parents gave me so I'm kind of stuck with it. If you don't know what I mean I'll tell you. "Akira" is one of the most common Japanese names in the whole language. Depending on the context it can mean "bright", "intelligent", or "clear" but the name didn't really do me justice. My grades were decent but not anything to really ride home about, I struggled in mathematics, did okay in language class, maybe slightly above average in history, and slightly below average in science.

I didn't have any sort of extracurricular activities, wasn't in any clubs, and I had only been made class rep because to everyone else in my class I seemed like a responsible guy with nothing better to do. But I wasn't all that special, I didn't really stand out all that well and I also didn't have that many friends – and even then I only ever talked to the few friends I had at school –, I ate lunch alone on the roof, and I would only talk to others when they talked to me first. Some people might have seen me as cold or uncaring because I didn't really smile that much but the truth is I just didn't see the reason in smiling all the time. I was the kind of guy who was only pictured in his school photo in the yearbook, or the kind of guy who only went to social events and festivals if they were mandatory. Most of the kids in my class couldn't even remember my name half the time, and like I said before I was voted class rep. What does that tell you? Nothing stood out about me at all, I was the most average of the average, the most cliché of the cliché. I dare you to find one person out there who blends into the background more than I do.

But still…I wanted to change all that. That was the main reason I decided to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy. I figured that if I was at the school that was built on the belief of individuality then maybe I could find something that set me apart from the rest of the crowd…if anything at all. I didn't want to be a wallflower anymore. But coming to this school hadn't helped me at all. We, the talentless kids, were part of the Reserve Department course of Hope's Peak Academy, which was only affiliated with the main school by name. No actual interaction between the two sectors of the academy was allowed. There was even a great big iron spiked fence separating the two halves of the school campus like a border that neither side was allowed to cross. But that just made me want to go over even more.

I think my one redeeming quality was that I was a dreamer. No matter how impossible something seemed to be, no matter the unlikelihood that it would actually happen, I kept dreaming and hoping that one day things might change. I was a strong believer in the impossible; don't get me wrong though, it's not like I believed in ghosts or aliens. It's more like I would always be open to the belief of the impossible. If someone told me an absolutely impossible to believe story about hauntings or urban legends then I would at least hear them out for what they had to say. I liked to imagine things that can't possibly happen, to escape reality if only for a short spell; that was probably the reason that I was a social butterfly in the real world, because sometimes I wanted nothing more than to escape the real world. Since coming to Hope's Peak Academy I had done this increasingly more so.

In my dreams I wasn't Akira Maita, ordinary beyond ordinary high school student, I could be anything I wanted to be. I could be a genius who solved multiple equations with just the flick of the wrist and won several Nobel prizes, a soccer star with a killer power shot that no one could block, or a teenage heartthrob who had multiple love interests; I know that kids usually grow out of things like make-believe but for some reason I never did. Part of the time, I'd think I was just waiting…waiting for something exciting to happen in the real world. But nothing ever did. That's why I couldn't help but wonder about what life beyond that fence was like. The world of the Ultimate high schoolers, their lives had to be far more interesting than mine. You could say that I was a little jealous, or even a little too nosey about their lives because any chance I could get I was usually staring at the school on the other side of the fence.

My friends say that I always had my head in the clouds. They were content with just having the name and the social status that being a Reserve Department course student of Hope's Peak Academy gave, because to the outside world we weren't any different from them. But I wasn't content, because I knew for sure I wouldn't be one of them until I got to experience what they experience. I hoped and dreamed that one day…one day real soon I would get to find out for myself what it was like to be an Ultimate student. Then one day my wish came true…for someone else. He was in the same class as me but we didn't ever really talk that much, his name was Hajime Hinata and he was the exact opposite of me. A realist, and a believer in only things that he could see with his own eyes and touch and feel. He was one of the people who was content remaining in the Reserve Department for his whole high school life…or so I thought.

The main branch of the academy extended to the Reserve Department an opportunity for one lucky student to come and study at the main school with the talented kids. The rule was that we all had to write an essay explaining what hope means to us, then the Hope's Peak Academy headmaster and staff would look over each entry and decide who among the student body of the Reserve Department most depicted the will of hope that Hope's Peak Academy was famous for. I was unbelievably excited, and I spent night and day for weeks on end trying to get my points across about what hope meant to me. And I thought for sure, and hoped with all my might, that my essay would get picked. But instead, the realist Hajime won. Apparently he admired Hope's Peak Academy as much as I did…no, maybe even more than I did actually.

Hajime was a guy who kept to himself, like me, but unlike me he always seemed to be focused on the real world and what was right in front of him. I couldn't relate to that, I daydreamed constantly and when I did I try to focus on the here and now it made real life seem so boring and insignificant. I wanted to change who I was desperately but I didn't think I would ever be able to become the person that I truly wanted to be in the real world. I mean, think about it. Honestly in what crazy, looney, warped world could someone like me, just a dumb dreamer, become a hero?

Which brings us to today. The day that I got the letter that would change my life as I knew it forever. It arrived at my house over the weekend. There wasn't going to be any school that week because apparently the academy was using their grant money to design a new addition to the campus. They could afford to hire the best contractors in the world so that building itself would probably only take a couple of days at most to complete. Anyway, here's what the letter said:

 _Dear Mr. A. Maita,_

 _Due to recent developments you may know that we are welcoming an additional building into the Hope's Peak Academy campus. But what you may not know is that the building we plan on making is actually going to be made into an additional school. Along with the main school, and the Reserve Department course school, this new school will be made available to students who we deem to be worthy. You Mr. Maita are one of those students in particular. We have had our eyes on you for a very long time, ever since you decided to come and join us by studying at the Reserve Department school. Though we may not have shown it we think that you are a prime example of what we are looking for in Hope's Peak Academy Student._

 _Much like how we introduced Mr. Hinata from your class to the main school we would like to offer you the opportunity to come and study with us at our new school, which will promise to be one of the most exclusive offers in Hope's Peak Academy history. You and nineteen others will be the sole students attending classes because you and the other nineteen are the people who we believe to be the most deserving of hope. As you described in your essay hope to us also begins with a dream, and as you know our school is funded by our desire to cultivate hope in its purest form. This school shall serve the purpose of what you might call a "think tank", where you and the others will engage in a series of tests in order to determine which hope is the strongest. We encourage you to come and match wits with the other contestants under the title of Ultimate Wannabe, and depending on how you place in this extracurricular course you may have a very bright future ahead of you. The decision is entirely yours to make Mr. Maita._

 _However, please do note that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and if you chose not to participate than there are plenty of other students who would jump at the opportunity that something like this event entails and we can fill your spot in no time. But again the decision is entirely up to you. Please report to the Hope's Peak Academy main school building at 8:00 AM on Friday, October 23. We hope to see you there Mr. Maita, we know that you will make this "think tank" very interesting. But if you do not show we will take it as your decline for entry._

I read the letter over and over again, memorizing each line and each word until finally I could recite the whole thing by memory. It didn't seem to be a joke, the stationary was the same kind I got my acceptance letter to the Reserve Department on. This was indeed from Hope's Peak Academy. Sure I had my doubts, I mean a "think tank"? Building an entire new building just for some experiment seemed a little wasteful even by Hope's Peak Academy's standards. And then there was that title, Ultimate Wannabe. But then I thought that this was the chance I had been waiting for, the chance to find out just what exactly makes me special. So I made up my mind, even though the whole thing sounded kind of sketchy it was Hope's Peak Academy so I mean what could happen?

Never have I been so wrong in my life. I should have just balled up that damn letter and threw it away. Things might have been different then, things might have been different if I just stayed in my little dream bubble in the real world. Because I found that the world of craziness and lunacy I had been waiting for was something horrible and filled with despair.

Despair of the blackest and darkest form. Despair that would drag me and nineteen others into utter hell. Despair that would make us compete in a sick, sick game. Despair that would tear us apart one by one until we were broken beyond repair. In four days' time I would learn the dark secret of the place that I admired so much. Hope's Peak Academy was really just Despair Academy, and one by one it would corrupt and torment us until all our hope was destroyed and nothing was left but despair.

* * *

A/N: Alright next time we meet the other participants in the next mutual killing game. Till next time.


	4. Prologue, Part 2

A/N: Alright time to start the prologue. Introductions were originally in this chapter but it ended up being over twenty-two thousand words so I decided to split the introductions in a separate chapter. They're in the next one, which I've also posted early. Happy Halloween. Now first a little information about this chapter, you probably already saw the chapter title so I'll just say yes someone does die in the prologue, but not one of the players in this game. No, it's an old beloved Danganronpa character. And the first challenge is to find out who killed them.

So about the next chapter, look forward to seeing the other participants in the next Mutual Killing Game. But just a heads up to all you OC creators, I have tweaked your characters just a little bit. Some minor changes to their outfits and how they act throughout the story, mainly minor details to make them more cool, funny, or crazy. And the Soshun Murasame in this story is also completely OC since we never learned how he acted before he died or even what he looked like, so I'm going to give my impression of how he looks and acts but if anyone knows about a fan image of him someone created let me know because I have looked all over and only found fan sprites that other people have made of their own Danganronpa characters. If I feel the need to do so, I'll change how he looks later on, but if I like mine better than I'll keep him as he is.

Oh and sorry about the length of the next chapter, it was just so fun to write the characters in I kind of went a little overboard with introduction. But long chapters are a good thing, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 2: The first murder**

* * *

DAYTIME, 6:30 AM

Friday came sooner than expected. In that time I had told my family that I would be attending the special extracurricular course at the academy and was not sure as to when I would return. Then when the scheduled day of appearance came they wished me the best of luck and sent me on my way. I had packed everything that I thought I would need for a long stay, a couple changes of clothes, my toothbrush, you know the essentials. I also packed my sketch books and my music player and headphones, in case I got bored at some point. And before heading out on Friday morning I did a quick once over in my dresser mirror. Since the letter didn't specify that we had to wear our uniforms I chose a comfortable, but somewhat stylish, outfit. I wore a white t-shirt that had a series of music notes decaled on it – a semiquaver sharp note followed by a series of flat notes and then ending with a ghost note – , my blue sweatshirt with silver trimmings, a pair of old blue jeans, a pair of black socks, and my black and silver tennis shoes. I also wore my headphones, which were red and had sky blue accents on them, around my neck.

I also checked my reflection in the mirror to make sure I looked at least halfway decent. I had short blue hair that drooped down into one bang that went over my left eye slightly, my eyes were also a deep ocean blue, and my right ear was pierced and studded. I think I looked good for the most part. "Akira, shouldn't you be heading out now?!" I heard my mom calling from downstairs.

"Yeah mom, I'm leaving now!" I shouted back. I grabbed my backpack and then made my way downstairs.

"Make us proud sweetheart," my mom said to me as I exited the house.

"I'll try," I said in an unsure tone. From there it was just a half hour train ride into the city to get to the Hope's Peak Academy campus. I arrived to see that the main gate was open and then I took a deep breath and headed inside the campus. It was kind of an interesting sight to see the campus so bear, it was a quiet walk to the front gate that led to the main school. I saw that it was open as well and on the side of the gate there was a crudely drawn sign with and arrow on it that read:

 _Extracurricular course students this way._

If this was a joke it was a really elaborate one. I reached into my backpack and then fished out the letter. I read over the contents one last time before I walked through the gate and into the building. I noticed that the structure of the entrance hall resembled the Reserve Department school's entrance hall. Then I looked up at the clock above the main hallway entrance. It was 6:30 AM, I was an hour and a half early. I groaned in frustration. "I was so nervous that I accidentally came too early. Great, now what am I supposed to do?" Then I looked to the hallway, it was completely barren, not a soul in sight. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to look around while I'm waiting on everyone else?" I was curious to learn exactly what made our schools so different anyway.

So I went on a little exploration of the main school. And I found some pretty interesting sights. The main school had an indoor pool, an impressive art room, a colossal physics lab with expensive looking machines inside of it, a botanical garden, and even an indoor archery dojo with actual sakura trees inside. There was a lot of cool stuff that the main school had, I bet if anyone from my class could've seen me there they would've been so jealous. But when I came across one room on the fifth floor, classroom 5-C, all the excitement and curiosity I had before turned into intrigue and fear in an instant. The classroom was marked off with crime scene tape and several signs that said to not open the door in a multitude of ways. But I saw that the door was slightly ajar and I could hear flies buzzing inside the room. The crime scene tape was also cut intentionally, showing that someone had forced their way inside.

And then an alarm went off in the back of my head, an alarm that said that I should back up and get as far away from that room as possible. That if I laid eyes on what was inside I would never be the same. I should have listened. But my curiosity got the better of me and instead I pushed open the door, getting a loud *creak* in reply. "Hello?" I called out first to find out if anyone was really inside. "Is anyone in there?" I received no reply in return. So I peeked my head through the door…and time stopped.

I didn't even know what to make of it at first. A foul stench hit my nostrils as soon as I peered into the room. It smelled like a mix of rust and rotten meat. Absolutely atrocious. I saw that the room was painted a dark red, as was the carpet. Horrible décor design if I may say so myself. And then I saw chalk lines on the ground that appeared to be outlines of people. And there was a person lying down on the floor in the middle of the room who was covered in wet pink paint. They weren't moving at all. It took a few minutes for things to set in, for my mind to stop playing tricks on me and no longer hide my psyche from the horrible truth right in front of me. But soon the realization that the walls and floor were not painted red hit me like a brick. They were stained red, red with blood. That stench confirmed it, and those chalk drawings, I recognized to be outlines that detectives used to identify where a dead body was found. And as for the person lying in the middle of the floor, they were…were…were…

* * *

 **PROLOGUE: A TASTE OF DESPAIRADISE**

* * *

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "D-d-d-d-dea..." I couldn't bring myself to say the word, it seemed so off putting, so wrong. I wanted to just laugh it off, just laugh it off like this whole thing really was just some elaborate joke after all. The letter, the extracurricular event, this…none of it was real. It was just some mean spirited humor from someone who liked to scare people half to…yeah, that's all it was there was no way any of this could be real. There couldn't really be a…person like that at Hope's Peak Academy, things like that never happened, things like that happened in some kind of crazy alternate universe. Just on TV and in manga, and when it happened in the real world it happened in places you would expect it to happen like bad neighborhoods and dark alleys. But this was Hope's Peak Academy for crying out loud! A school of hope! A school of dreams, not a school of nightmares! That's what this was, that was what this had to be if it wasn't really a joke! Just a bad dream! A really fucking bad dream!

I closed my eyes thinking, hoping, and praying that I would wake up in my room in the next few seconds when I opened them again. But there was nothing. I didn't see my room when I opened my eyes again, all I saw was the bloody classroom and the dead body lying inside it. I couldn't deny it anymore, this wasn't a dream. As much as I wanted it to be, this was not a dream. This was cold, hard reality. Someone had been killed in that classroom, multiple someones by the looks of the chalk outlines. I went as pale as a ghost and my knees buckled underneath my weight. I had to grab on to the door's hinge to keep myself from completely falling face forward. I was shaking like a leaf, I couldn't see my face but I was sure that I looked like a deer that was caught in headlights at that point. And then I heard a horrible scream, a blood-wrenching scream like the kind you hear in slasher horror movies, only this was no movie. The scream carried on for almost ten seconds and then I finally realized that the scream was coming out of my own mouth. It was like I wasn't in control of my body's functions anymore. Like I was having an out of body experience at the sight of…of…I was going to vomit!

There was a waste basket right beside the door and against my better judgment I crept into the room further to retrieve the waste basket. And then I relieved myself of my breakfast, leaving a bad aftertaste in my mouth. " _*Blegh…blegh…blegh! Huff…huff…huff…*_ "

Then I collapsed against the side of the door. I was still shaking but I couldn't force myself to run away from that bloody scene. I don't know why, it was just…that person, I couldn't just leave them there. They were all alone, alone in this classroom and alone in the school for God knows how long. I knew that I had to call someone, a teacher, the police, someone to come and help me with this situation. But I couldn't just leave them there all alone. And then a thought entered my mind. 'Now that I think about it…I didn't get a good look at them.' Maybe…just maybe it was someone that I knew. I couldn't just take the chance of calling the cops and not finding out who they were, the worry and guilt would literally eat me alive. So against my better judgment I collected my thoughts, picked myself up off the floor and then crept into the room.

The floor was stained with blood but it was old blood…something really bad had happened here quite a while ago. And then as I walked closer to the…the body, I noticed that the blood they were covered in was fresh. It was still bright pink, like it had just bled out. Then it hit me, whatever happened to this person happened just a short while ago. I forced myself to look past the blood and at the person the blood was on. The person appeared to be masculine in body type, and appeared to be around my height and age. 'He was a kid just like me,' I thought to myself as I examined more closely. He appeared to be wearing a white shirt with an emblem embodied on the hem, a green tie which also bore the same emblem, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of red-and-white sneakers. He had short spikey brown hair that also had an ahoge sticking up in it. And then I forced myself to look him in the eyes. They were creepy beyond belief. It was as if all the light had been drained from them, and made them dull and listless. Hallow eyes, is what they call that condition I think. But from what I could they were green for the most part.

Then without thinking I reached down to his neck and tried to feel for a pulse like they did on TV. There was nothing. He was really gone. Then as I stared at the boy's face a horrible realization occurred to me. I did know him. It was Hajime. Hajime Hinata, the winner of the essay contest, the guy who got to do what I wanted to do and come to the main school. Since that day I had looked up to him, I couldn't believe that there was a student in the Reserve Department who admired hope and Hope's Peak Academy even more than I did. Secretly, he was the other reason I had wanted to come to the main school so bad. I wanted to catch up to him. I know it's kind of silly but the day that he out bested me with his will of hope I had thought of as rivals, and maybe even as friends. Though he probably didn't even know who I was, I wanted to make it one of my goals to become friends with him. I felt like he was the one person who I could relate to and now…he's gone. He was lying at my feet, blood splattered all over him, with a look of unimaginable terror on his face. This wasn't logical at all, and only one thing could explain it. Murder. He was murdered…murdered in cold blood.

"You've been in here an awfully long time, you know?" I jumped at the sudden breaking of silence. I turned around so fast I almost slipped, thinking it might be the person who killed Hajime and fearing for my own life. And that's when I saw one of the creepiest guys I've ever seen before. He sort of looked like the perfect example of an evil cosplayer. He wore an all-black suit with a black tie over a white dress shirt, and he also wore a pair of black loafers. He must have really loved the color black. His skin was extremely pale, but not like an albino, it was more like the kind of pale that Hajime was right now. The guy looked like he was half dead. He had long, flowing black hair that would be considered cutting it close even for a girl, each bang of which was mismanaged and messy. And his hair drooped over his face every time he moved. And finally he had these mesmerizing red eyes that seemed to match the shade of red that caked the room, frightening me even more. In short the guy looked like someone you'd tend to avoid rather than talk to. He smirked at me, "Scared you, didn't I?"

I still wasn't sure whether or not he was the one who killed Hajime so I kept my distance. "You…? Were you the one who…?" I couldn't get out the rest of the words.

"The one who what? Come on now if you're going to talk to me you've got to at least use full sentences. That's just common curtesy, right?" Then he looked past me and stared at Hajime's dead body. "Oh, you mean the one who killed the corpse? No that wasn't me." Then he smirked again and reached into his suits' pants' pocket and pulled something out that made my eyes go even wider. It was a huge jagged-edged knife. "Or was it?" I could see that the blade was bright pink as well. It was definitely used on Hajime. I didn't see any other dead bodies when I was looking around the school after all.

I backed up closer to the other side of the classroom until I was gripping the side of the wall. "Don't…don't come any closer…" I managed to squeak out.

He smirked again and then walked further into the room. "Or what? I'm the one with the knife, what can you do?" Each time I took a step away from him, he took a step forward. And I was quickly running out of room to move. Soon I found myself backed into a corner and a pile of overturned desks blocked my only path of escape. And he just kept coming. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the end and praying with all my might for it to be over quickly. Then I felt the tip of the knife poke my stomach and then stop suddenly. I took the chance and opened my eyes to see the boy looking me over as if he was observing my responses. Then his smile grew wide and he took a step back and started laughing hysterically. " _Hahahahahaha_!" he gripped his sides tightly and dropped the knife on the floor. "You should have seen your face! Priceless!" His laugh was the only thing that seemed good-natured about him, it wasn't the kind of laugh you would expect though. Not maniacal or insane, more like a laugh that you might hear from a little kid when they watched a funny cartoon. He laughed so hard that I actually thought his sides might split. And all the while I just stood there in confusion.

And then about half a minute later he stopped laughing all together. It was like a switch, one second he was laughing, and the next second he wasn't even giggling. "That's enough of that," he said to himself and then he picked up the bloody knife off of the floor. "Probably all the fun that I can get out of this thing, might as well try to figure out who hid it there now." He held the knife up to his face and started looking at it carefully, examining each nook and cranny of it like he was a detective examining evidence. "The person who used this knife was very careful not to get caught, there's not a single fingerprint on here, not even on the blade." He saw that I was confused and added, "Most people don't think to look for prints on the blade; ergo sometimes the killer gets sloppy and leaves one in an unlikely spot. Haven't you ever read a murder mystery novel before?"

"So…wait, you aren't the one who killed Hajime?" I asked, trying to understand what was going on.

The boy shook his head and said, "Nope, I'm trying to find his killer."

"Find his killer? But then what the hell was all that with the knife?!" I shouted in anger.

He smirked again, "I thought it would be fun to mess with you a little, it's just been me and the corpse here since dawn so I needed a good laugh. After all, if I started talking to dead people I'd look insane."

I grunted and then I leaned forward and yanked at his jacket collar. "What the hell is your problem?! You think that it's fun to do sick shit like that to people?!"

"I wasn't going to do anything, I was just having a little fun at your expense. And you had a really funny reaction so it was worth it, even if you do kick my ass." He smiled smugly, "But you're not going to do anything are you? This is just an empty threat to let me know that you don't like to be the butt of other people's jokes." He shrugged his shoulders, "Fair enough, I won't mess with you again. Just keep being entertaining and you'll get to see how nice and funny Izuru-kun can be."

I sighed and let go of him. "Izuru?"

Then he folded in his right arm over his chest and bowed like he was a butler or an actor. "Izuru Kamukura, at your service. I am known to others as the Ultimate Hope."

IZURU KAMUKURA: ULTIMATE HOPE

"Ultimate Hope?" I repeated. "What does that even mean?"

"You're contaminating the crime scene, if you want to know more then why don't we go on outside in the hall and chat?"

I looked back to Hajime for a second. "But…shouldn't we stay with him? At least until a teacher or somebody shows up? It feels wrong just leaving him alone."

"That corpse isn't a "him" anymore idiot, it's just dead weight and flesh that's waiting to become rotten. And if we don't leave soon the stench will stick to our clothes." Then Izuru turned around and headed outside the classroom.

I turned back and gave one last glance in Hajime's direction before I followed Izuru outside. And when I was out of the classroom he shut the door behind me. "Now that you've said your goodbyes, let's discuss the matter at hand. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Izuru asked.

There was a certain malice to his character. It was like he didn't even acknowledge that someone had just died. Hajime may not have been alive anymore but he was still a human being. But Izuru, he called him rotten flesh. It was like he didn't care at all what happened to Hajime. According to him he's been here since dawn and known that someone was killed, yet he hadn't gone to get a teacher or even so much as bother to call 119? What was going through his mind?

"Hey you, idiot boy!" Izuru shouted to get my attention. "I asked you a question, who are you?"

"M-My name is Akira Maita."

Izuru smirked again. "Ah, Maita-kun, eh? Alright question number two, Maita-kun, what are you doing here? School's closed for the week, you know?"

"I uh…well I was told to come here at 8:00 AM to be entered into a sort of extracurricular course." He probably wouldn't believe me even if I tried to explain, it was probably just as I thought and that letter was a prank. And now that I think about it a prank, most likely set up by him.

"You got a letter, too?" he asked, surprising me. Then he crossed his arms and chuckled to himself. "Oh I see, you're one of my soon to be new classmates. I didn't think anybody besides me would get here this early. Interesting, very interesting. Yet you're asking why I haven't told anyone about the dead body? Did you even bother to read the instructions or are you just an idiot like I thought?"

"What?" I said in confusion.

"I'll take that as a yes to the latter."

I groaned and then said, "Okay enough games now you answer my questions. What exactly is an Ultimate Hope?"

"Okay fair enough. Allow me to explain. My talent is that I am talented."

I shook my head. "Try harder."

"Very well, I'm a genius who can read others like they're books. I automatically know what a person is thinking and what they're going to do next the moment I lay eyes on them. You could call me psychic or whatever you want but the truth is that I'm just guessing based on their data. But my guesses are always 100% right, so they're not really guesses but facts that have simply not yet come to be. And the moment I interact with another talented individual I can learn their talent and how to fully master it in about five minutes. All I have to do is see their talent in action first. A person who can possess multiple talents at will, now don't you think that person has the power to truly make a difference in the world and change it to how ever they see fit? Hope's Peak Academy thought that way, so that's why they stuck me with that title. Ultimate Hope, simply rolls off the tongue doesn't it?"

"Huh, well I knew there were some people with some weird talents here, but that one seriously takes the cake," I said as I scratched the back of my head in confusion.

"Well then let's hear your talent, shall we?"

"I…" I frowned and then looked down at the floor. "Don't have one."

"You don't have a talent?" Izuru asked as he gave me a questionable look. He gave me a once over and then he smirked again. "Ah, I get it you're a Reserve Department student just like that kid is…oops, guess I should say was."

I looked back at the closed classroom door. "Did you know him?"

"No, I don't like to exert the necessary effort to converse with normal people. I'll make an exception for you though since you seem to be in the same boat I am and have so far proven yourself to be somewhat entertaining."

"In the same boat? Hang on." I reached into my backpack and pulled out the letter again, and then I showed it to Izuru. "So you got one of these too?"

Izuru nodded. "I was so excited that I couldn't sleep so I decided to come extra early…well that, and I wanted to be the first person to solve the first test."

"First test? What are you talking about?"

Izuru smiled smugly again. "Looks like you didn't read your letter fully." He snatched my letter and then reached into his pocket again and pulled out a pencil. Then he bore the letter down against the hallway wall and started rubbing the point of his pencil against the paper.

"Hey, hey, that's mine cut it out!" I shouted.

"Shh, you're ruining the big reveal, a magician doesn't like to be interrupted when performing tricks," Izuru replied. And then after a few more moments of scribbling he showed me the letter. "Take a look at it now."

My eyes widened as I stared at the back of letter. Izuru had revealed a secret message on the back of the letter that was only readable with the help of the graphite from the pencil. Someone had intentionally bore down on the paper in order to leave a message. "How…how did you?"

Izuru turned the letter over in my hands and showed me the front side. Then he pointed at the top left hand corner at the Hope's Peak Academy stationary seal. That's when I noticed something odd, the words in the seal were backwards. "See the words in the seal. It should be the words " _high school_ " but they're backwards and written as " _loohcs hgih_ ". But when you turn it over again." He showed me the back of the letter again and pointed top right hand corner where the seal was visible. "It says " _high school_ ", which got me thinking that there was more content on the back of the letter. Don't tell me you thought it was just a typo?"

I sweatdropped. "I didn't even notice that it was like that until you pointed it out."

He raised one of his eyebrows in surprise. "Seriously? But it's so obvious."

'To you maybe,' I thought to myself and then I read over the newfound contents of the letter.

 _P.S. Mr. A. Maita,_

 _Due to the content of this note I'm afraid we could not write it along with the rest of the letter. But if you found this message then congratulations it means you're officially a part of the extracurricular course. This was the beginning of your first "test", if you will, it proves that you can spot miniscule details that would stump ordinary people. Just as we guessed, you are very special Mr. Maita. However, your real challenge begins now. There will be a certain "thing" in classroom 5-C on the fifth floor of the main school building that definitely doesn't belong there. Your job is to figure out what exactly happened to this "thing" and if you discover the truth your next challenge will be revealed to you. There are clues all over the school so search high and low for answers. We wish you the best of luck Mr. Maita._

 _Sincerely, Hope's Peak Academy faculty and staff_

"So that's why it wasn't signed by anybody either. The signature was on the back," I thought aloud.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't think that was out of the ordinary too?" Izuru asked.

I shook my head. "No, I just thought the whole thing was a joke at first is all."

Izuru sighed in exasperation. "Your ignorance is growing tiresome, you're telling me that you came here without even realizing what you were getting yourself into? Don't you see? It's a game, and a fun one at that. The "thing" that doesn't belong is that boy, Hajime Hinata's, body. We have to discover why it's there in the first place. Ergo we have to find out who murdered him and for what purpose." Then he shrugged and laughed it off. "I have to give those worms credit, this does amuse me just like they said it would."

Izuru appalled me. How anyone would could be so care-free around a subject like death was beyond me. And I just couldn't rap my head around the situation. 'Hope's Peak Academy knew that Hajime's body would be here? This is one of the tests for the extracurricular course? That can't be…why would anyone, especially a school like Hope's Peak Academy allow something like this to happen? Was Hajime killed just because of this test? It can't be true. This has to be some sort of elaborate prank, there's no way something like this can happen.'

As if he read my thoughts, Izuru blurted out. "Deny it all you want…this is reality. That boy, Hajime Hinata, is dead. He's a corpse now, and our job as the players of this game is to determine what exactly happened to him. It's a real life murder mystery, what could possibly be more fun or exciting?"

I felt like I was going to vomit again. In what way could that possibly be considered fun? Treating a living, breathing person like they were just the beginning of some fucking game of _Clue_? It was ridiculous, it was sick, and I wasn't going to be a part of it anymore. 'If Hope's Peak Academy really is all behind this then I've got to tell someone else, go to the police or something. If they could just murder a student over the sake of some game who knows what else they could do?' I shook my head. "No, this is beyond wrong. I'm getting out of here, I'm going to go call 119 and then tell them that someone's been murdered here. That'll put an end to this."

"You'll spoil the fun for me because you, yourself don't want to play? In what way, shape, or form is that fair?" Izuru asked as he folded his arms in disagreement. "You're deciding to end the game before the others even arrive, at least let them have a say in this."

But I wouldn't hear him out. I pulled out my cellphone and began to dial 119. "After all this is over I'd seriously recommend that you get professional help." My cellphone rang and rang but there was no connection. The line was dead. I stared at my cellphone in disbelief. "What the…? What the hell is going on?"

"It seems like "they" don't want the game to end just yet. That's just fine by me though. But you on the other hand have met your expectations of amusement. As I suspected, you're good for a laugh or two but no fun when it comes to playing along. You're nothing but a spoil sport. If you don't want to help me then fine, I'll just solve the mystery on my own." Then Izuru turned away from me, "Till next time, Akira Maita." And he walked off in the opposite direction to go find more clues.

That guy knew how to rub people the wrong way that was for sure. But still what was the deal with the phone line going dead all of a sudden? 'Do the teachers really want us to do this?' I asked myself in disbelief. "No that can't be!" I exclaimed aloud. "I won't believe it. Right now I just have to get out of here and go tell someone what happened." Then I started walking in the direction of the staircase. But as soon as I set foot on the top step of the staircase the world started to spin. I tried desperately to maintain my balance but it was like I had suddenly gotten vertigo. I could barely see straight and I ended up tumbling halfway down the stairs before I managed to catch myself on the side rail. But the world didn't stop spinning. The spinning just increased, it was like the whole world was being churned inside out, swirling around and around and around. And then the world suddenly went black.

* * *

A/N: Oh and before anyone says anything, no Izuru wasn't lying smarties, he really didn't do it. But that's kind of crazy, eh? Izuru and Hajime are supposed to be the same person and now one of them is dead? How can that be? Four simple words.

FIND OUT AFTER GRADUATION!


	5. Prologue, Part 3

A/N: Okay here's part three, the official character introductions. Hope you like the way I designed the characters, and for those of you who sent an OC I hope I do your character justice. Again sorry in advance about making the prologue so long.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 3: Meeting the rest of the class**

* * *

DAYTIME, TIME UNKNOWN

And when I woke up again I was in an unfamiliar location. I slowly opened my eyes and stirred noisily. It felt like I had been asleep for a very long time. That's when I realized that I was lying down in a comfy bed. I sat up and saw that I was in what appeared to be a school infirmary. I was still at Hope's Peak Academy. But I had somehow fallen unconscious. "Was that all really just a dream?" I had wished that it was just a dream when I saw Hajime's dead body but after I didn't wake up immediately I had begun to accept it as the truth. Someone I knew was murdered, and for some reason I was supposed to find out who did it. It was completely ridiculous. Thank goodness it had just been a dream. "But how did I get here anyway? Someone must have found me when I was unconscious and taken me here. Yeah that must be it."

Then I noticed something that stood out on my bed side. It appeared to be a crudely drawn information pamphlet of sorts. The pamphlet had the words _Informational Tutorial for Extracurricular – Killing Despairadise – Course_ written on the outside of it. There was also a drawing of a weird looking teddy bear that seemed like something a kindergartener would think of. "Weird," I commented as I opened the pamphlet and read the contents.

 _Welcome to the new extracurricular course at Hope's Peak Academy. Though there has always been despair lurking in the background of this shining school of hope and pride this year we will be holding a special course for a few select students who are seriously in need of a dose of despair to get them to see the world for what it truly is. While attending this course you will be treated to daily despair by participating in a game that's fun for all ages._

 _And the first phase is the Murder Mystery Tour, where you will have to find out who killed the student known as Hajime Hinata. Your acceptance letters should have told you the gist of the game but now I will tell you the rest. You are free to explore the main school of Hope's Peak Academy and search for clues as to who Hajime Hinata's killer is, and when the killer has been correctly identified then the real game will begin. Consider this another test to see if you have what it takes to stick it out._

 _But first of all remember that your original acceptance letters said we have to meet up at 8:00 AM, so before you begin solving mysteries young sleuths it's important that you get to know your partners. Report to the entrance hall immediately at 8:00 AM. You're going to be staying here for a long time so you might as well learn to like each other._

 _When you think you know who the killer is meet up to discuss it with your classmates and then call on me and I shall come. And keep in mind I have eyes all over the school, so no slacking off and no funny business or there may be dire consequences. Just because this isn't an ordinary class doesn't mean you can do whatever you want._

 _Sincerely, the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy_

My eyes grew wide again and I was immediately filled with dread. It was all real. It was really real. It was a game, a horrible, sick, and twisted game and Hope's Peak Academy was behind it all. Hajime was really killed over something stupid like this. "I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here!" I repeated over and over again as I jumped out of bed. I noticed that my backpack was missing but I didn't really care about that at the moment. All I cared about was getting as far away from this sick and twisted school as fast as possible.

I ran out of the infirmary at break neck speed and then raced down the hallway as fast as humanly possible until I found the entrance hallway again. Then I skidded to a halt and ran inside the entrance hall, hoping to see the doors leading out of the main school and instead being greeted with the sight of a giant vaulted door that was equipped with security cameras and what appeared to be…gatling guns. It was both surreal and real at the same time. In the short time that I had been unconscious the entrance hall had completely changed from welcoming and comforting into the inside of an armored vault. And inside the entrance hall were nineteen other kids who looked just as confused as I was.

* * *

DAYTIME, 8:05 AM

Izuru was with them, he was casually standing at the very back of the room and leaning against the wall. And he was the one to first speak up. "Ah, Maita-kun it's nice of you to finally join us. I was starting to think that you, being the spoil sport you are, were trying to deliberately hold up the start of the game."

Then a boy at the front of the group with shoulder length black hair, a side swiped ahoge, and pale blue eyes spoke up. "So he's the last one, eh?" He crossed his arms over his chest and cast a glare in my direction. "Hey, what's the big idea behind showing up late?! I happen to be a very busy guy, I don't have time to wait around for other idiots!"

To which a girl with short hot pink hair, an ahoge, and crystal blue eyes replied, "Hey, give the guy a break, he's only a few minutes late."

Then another girl with wavy black hair and round purple eyes added, "Yeah, Azami-tan agrees hebi! Be nicer, Surudoi-kun hebi!"

The boy with the temper replied, "Surudoi-kun?" in confusion at the girl's comment.

Then a boy with messy and odd white shoulder-length hair and pale gray eyes smiled at the girl and boy and chuckled lightly. "Cool, so you two know each other just like our new friend and our creepy friend do, eh? This class should be real fun if we're together with our good buddies." Then he chuckled again and added, "But it's funny your name is Surudoi-kun, it matches your personality perfectly, no?"

To which to the boy with the temper replied, "Surudoi isn't my name, genius. And like hell I would be friends with some ugly girl like her," he said motioning to the girl with the wavy black hair.

To which the wavy-haired girl mewed like a cat. No I'm not kidding, she actually mewed like a cat. "Nyaaa! You're so mean to Jagaimo-chan hebi!" Then she looked to the white-haired boy and exclaimed, "Chuudoku-kun help out Jagaimo-chan hebi!"

The white-haired boy looked confused. "What? My name's not Chuudoku its Nagito."

Then an athletic-looking boy with dark brown hair and bright green eyes spoke up. "Um, I think she's giving you a nickname."

Then the white-haired boy's eyes widened. "A nickname?!" And then a creepy smile spread across his face, as did a light blush on his cheeks. "Me?! I feel so honored that you feel the need to give a nickname to someone as worthless as me. Thank you for thinking so highly of me when I'm nothing but a piece of trash just waiting to be thrown away."

Then a boy with auburn hair, which was tied back with a white bandana, and royal blue eyes spoke up. "Whoa, did not expect a hardcore persecution complex to be hidden under that carefree smile, dude!"

Then a girl with short bright green hair, hidden under an odd top hat, and a pair of tiger orange eyes spoke up in a French accent. "Qui, Monsieur White Rabbit is indeed peculiar. A creepy guy, no?"

That just made the white-haired boy happier. "Wow, another nickname?! I must be really well liked!"

The auburn-haired boy spoke up again. "Definitely a creepy guy, kind of scary actually."

It was kind of a whisper but I was able to make out a mumble from a guy wearing glasses who stood away from the rest of the group. "Pfft, idiots." Although no one else seemed to be able to hear him.

Then a girl with canary yellow hair, which was tied back into a ponytail and slightly hidden under a white sunhat, and jade green eyes spoke up with a great big sunny smile. "There sure are a lot of us here, eh? A lot of different personalities, a lot of new faces. I'd like to say personally that it's nice to meet each and every one of you." Her whole appearance seemed cheerful and made me feel the tiniest bit of peace.

And the yellow-haired girl's statement got others talking as well. There was a short mousy looking girl with short layered brown hair and greenish-brown eyes who was standing in the very middle of the group, doing her best to not draw attention to herself. You could tell right away that she was timid beyond belief, but still she did her best to stutter out a return for the yellow-haired girl's greeting. "S-Same t-to y-you."

As did a short mousy boy with messy light brown hair and silvery eyes, who was writing diligently in a journal of some sort. He looked up just for a second so he could say, "Y-Yeah, nice to m-meet you t-too." Then he stuck his nose back into his book and continued to write. Clearly both of them were not very social.

There were still some people who remained silent through the awkwardness though. Maybe they were just not sure what to say or were too confused and frightened like I was to care about making nice with others. But when the room fell silent again I forced myself to break it. "Um, are all of you guys part of the extracurricular course too?" I knew it was a stupid question to ask, who else would they be? But as I stared at the vaulted door at the back of the entrance hall I could tell that a distinct cloud of darkness was rolling in. That door could have been made for one reason and one reason only, to keep someone inside the academy. I didn't want to ask if they had already tried opening the door, I already knew the answer based on the feeling of hopelessness in the room. I knew most of them, save a few individuals, were just as scared and confused as I was. Malevolent forces were at play here, even if we didn't want to admit it. I somehow think at that point that we all knew we were trapped for some unknown purpose, but despite all that we tried to remain calm and stick to the reality of this unrealistic situation. We were here for an extracurricular course given out by Hope's Peak Academy and they were testing us through some "weird" methods, hopefully that was all. Even though I knew it wasn't.

Then my question that was meant to lighten the mood was misinterpreted by one individual, an individual who would soon become the bane of my existence. "All of us "guys"? Hmm, I don't know really. I know I got a letter that said for me to be here at this exact time on this exact date but I wonder…do you think I look like a boy?" asked a girl with short lavender colored hair, a small tuft of which was tied into a small braid on the right side of her face, tanned skin, and chartreuse colored eyes.

I was confused by her question at first. "Eh?"

She glared at me and gritted her teeth. "Listen up you revolting cockroach, and listen good! I am not a stupid, gross boy like you, go it?! I am an beautiful, elegant, graceful, and refined young lady; and if you dare treat me as anything but I'll squash you like the damn bug you are, are we clear?!"

I wasn't sure if she was kidding or not at first but after a few more moments of enduring her icy gaze I could tell she was serious. She thought I was making fun of her and overreacted way too much, but I couldn't say that to her face. The power in her words made me seem so minuscule in might. And my name was Maita for crying out loud. So I gulped and nodded my head in affirmation. "Um…y-yes ma'am." Then I silently thought to myself, 'Intense much?'

I heard the boy standing alone mutter to himself again. "Pfft, you're all idiots."

Then the girl with hot pink hair came to my rescue again. She walked up to the intense girl and tried to calm her down. She didn't seem to know how I enraged her either. Then when she felt she had everyone's attention she spoke up. "Okay, moving on." She turned to me and continued. "To answer your question, yes, we all received the same letter about the extracurricular course. And since the letter specified that the recipient would be admitted along with nineteen others I think it's safe to assume that now that you're here we're all accounted for."

I sighed in grief and then looked up at the vaulted door again, then at the security cameras and monitors, and then finally at the gatling guns. Then the sight of Hajime's corpse and that blood soaked classroom penetrated my head. 'It's not a dream…and it isn't some sick joke…it's real, it's all real,' I thought to myself.

Then another person spoke up, someone else who wanted to discuss the true gravity of the situation, or just the person who was at least brave enough to ask unwanted questions. He had short silver hair and an ahoge on his head that from the side looked like it was shaped after a crescent moon, he also had these friendly looking yellow eyes, which seemed comforting and welcoming, hidden behind a pair of black glasses. "Hey, speaking of those letters, there's something I'd like to confirm. You all found the secret message on the back of the stationary, right? The one that talks about the first test that we have to complete?"

The white-haired boy spoke up again. "It was kind of obvious when you looked at the seal, even trash like me had no problem figuring it out."

Then the girl with the wavy black hair who liked to give nicknames. "Jagaimo-chan had no problems hebi."

Then the athletic boy with dark brown hair. "I found it too."

Then the intense tanned girl. "Are you implying that someone as graceful as me would be tripped up by something like that?! Ridiculous!"

Then the short brown-haired boy who loved to write looked up from his journal for a split second. "Yep." Then he continued writing.

Then the timid girl with the layered brown hair. "I-It took some time…b-but I ma-managed to fig-figure it out."

Then the girl with the top hat. "Qui, le message only took about 5.6 seconds to decipher. How you say, piece of cake, no?"

Then the girl with the hot pink hair. "No problems on my end."

Then the lone muttering, glasses-wearing, boy. "Any idiot could solve something as simple as that."

Then the black-haired boy with the temper. "Heh, anyone with half a brain actually."

Then a girl with bobbed black hair who was standing in the back of the group. "…..yes." Not much of a talker.

Then the auburn haired boy with the white bandana. "Took me a while but I got it too, dude."

Then a cheerful-looking girl with shoulder length black hair who was standing near one of the security cameras and appeared to be examining its movements with curiosity. "Well it was sort of an arduous process for me. After I read over the letter something felt strange to me so I dissected it piece by piece until the error in the stationary seal was revealed, which at first I thought just to be a simple misprint but upon further inspection…" She rambled on until the high tempered guy cut her off.

"Wrap it up!" he shouted.

She laughed off his harsh words and then continued. "Right, right, yeah I figured it out too."

Then a tall tanned girl with dark blue hair that was tied back into a ponytail. "I've played, better tricks than that. Weren't nothing to it." She spoke in an accent that sounded like she was from the US, in the southern region to be specific.

Then the cheerful girl with the canary yellow hair. "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware – Austrian Philosopher Martin Buber. In other words it wasn't that hard."

Then a boy with really short dyed orangeish hair, covered up by a newspaper boy hat, and purplish-blue eyes spoke up. "What the French girl said, piece of cake!" he exclaimed in a husky voice with a smirk.

Then a girl with long silvery blonde hair and almond eyes, who had a sort of angelic or fairy like complexion. "Didn't take too long."

Then Izuru. "I solved it easily, how about you Maita-kun?" he asked as he smirked at me.

'Seriously, every one of them figured it out?' I inwardly groaned, 'Geez, Ultimate high schoolers really are something else. Wait a second, that's not important right now!' I frowned. 'So it is true? This is Hope's Peak Academy's doing? All of it? Even Hajime? I wonder, do the others know too? Did Izuru tell them what the identity of the "thing" was?' My mind was overflowing with questions but I had no means to answer any of them. It was utter turmoil.

The silver-haired boy spoke up again. "Alright, one more thing. Did anybody else suddenly collapse when they arrived here?"

The auburn-haired boy looked shocked. "Eh?! That happened to you too, dude?! I thought it was just because I didn't get a good night's sleep!"

Then the silvery blonde girl spoke up again. "Same here, I skipped breakfast today because I woke up late. I just thought that I was running low on energy."

Then one by one each and every person in the entrance hall confirmed the same thing. We had all collapsed and found strange messages telling us to meet up here upon awakening. But from what I heard it became clear that the messages the others received did not mention anything about murder, therefore they weren't given a message like mine. Did that mean I was special? Lucky me. And then finally it was my turn to tell my side of the story. "Yeah, the same exact thing happened to me." Then my eyes widened in fear and I looked to the boy with the silver hair. "Wait, you don't think it's all somehow related do you?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and half-closed his eyes, making it seem like he was playing everything out in his head and thinking about how all the pieces fit together. "Think about it. Twenty people suddenly collapsing almost all at once? No matter how you look at it, that cannot be a coincidence."

Then the white-haired boy spoke again. "You're probably right, and come to think of it things seemed a little different about the building after I woke up. There were security cameras and monitors in all the halls and inside all the rooms. And then there's the entrance hall. I'm definitely sure that this is not how it looked when I first arrived here. It looks all sci-fi now."

The dark blue-haired girl spoke again. "I see what you mean, and those things up on the ceiling, are those guns?"

"I…I th-think so…" the timid girl began to speak again, "They're most li-likely there to p-prevent us from trying anything. You s-see that panel next to t-the door? It looks l-like you use i-it to put in a c-code."

"Are you saying it's a code to open the door, dude?" the auburn-haired boy spoke up again. "Because I already tried everything I could think of to break it down and nothing's worked."

The athletic-looking boy cut in. "Um, I'm pretty sure that door's made out of impenetrable steel. I doubt you could just open it up with broad force," he said as he sweatdropped.

"Oho, you obviously don't know me then, dude. I've got mad skills, yo!"

The timid girl continued, "T-The important thing is…i-if that panel is f-for opening th-the door then just im-imagine what would h-happen if…you p-put in the wrong code."

"This is ridiculous!" the silver-haired boy started talking again. "Security cameras, vaulted doors, secret codes, and guns, just what has happened to Hope's Peak Academy? When I came in here this morning none of this stuff was here, and then when I blacked out it all just appeared out of nowhere. How can any of this be possible?"

Then the pink-haired girl spoke up again. "Maybe…this is just a theory mind you, but's it the only explanation I can think of that makes sense even a little…"

"Well don't just leave us in suspense, ugly, what's your theory?!" the boy with the temper exclaimed.

"Well," she continued, "What if we aren't in Hope's Peak Academy at all?"

"Not in Hope's Peak Academy, what do you mean?" I asked.

She then explained. "This could just be a place that's modeled to look like Hope's Peak Academy but with a few modifications included, this "sci-fi" entrance hall for example."

The white-haired boy cut in. "Although, now that I think about it the entrance hall kind of looks more doomsdayish than sci-fi; and we are all teens, so maybe the genre is teen dystopian instead?"

The pink-haired girl glazed over his comment and continued, "Maybe this really is just part of Hope's Peak Academy's extracurricular course…but, what if it's not?"

"What do you mean "not"?" the athletic-looking dark brown-haired boy asked.

"I mean, what if something else is going on here? What if this is some kind of elaborate kidnapping attempt?" she replied.

Then the intense lavender-haired girl let loose a snooty giggle. "Kidnapping attempt, that's what you honestly think this is? Please, I've been kidnapped before along with my mistress. The clowns who did the deed were idiotic enough to think that they could ransom us back to my mistress's parents, and you know what I did…I beat them to a fucking bloody pulp and saved us single-handedly."

"Y-You're a tough girl, aren't you?" I asked rhetorically.

"The point is, you damn cockroach that I know how kidnapping works. The story you heard was of the only attempt that actually proved successful at first. Every single other time I stopped it before it could happen, and each and every time it's either a person who is obsessed with money and greed or some disgusting pedo who think he can get his rocks off on my mistress. This doesn't suit the tastes of a kidnapper. Why go through all the trouble of making his hideaway look like Hope's Peak Academy? It's a waste of time and effort, if we were kidnapped we could have just been easily taken to an abandoned building or warehouse. No this isn't kidnapping, my guess is that this is the first test of the extracurricular course. For all we know we could be in the new building that the school was designing."

"But if they just wanted us to go to the new building instead then what was the point of knocking us out?" I asked.

"I don't know, I'm not one of the weird teachers at this weird school! Figure it out yourself!"

'Helpful and then suddenly not, she's a dynamic character alright,' I thought to myself. "Okay, so you think this is the first test, just like it mentioned in the letters. And we have to find the "thing" that doesn't belong?"

She sent a glare in my direction. "You've got a problem with my theory, cockroach boy?"

"No, no, I'm just asking you if that's what you mean is all. I didn't mean any offense by it, I swear," I replied.

Then she blinked in surprise. "Oh…well…it serves you right for disrespecting someone as graceful and beautiful as me earlier. Don't think I'll accept your apologies so easily, it takes a lot for anyone to get back into my favor. So that's double for you cockroach boy since you disgust me to no end."

I sighed in exasperation. 'She is…she is something alright.'

Then the girl with the silvery blonde hair came to my rescue and told the intense girl off. "Look, I think we've all had it up to here with your bad attitude. Can you just get off the guy's case already and give him a straight and simple answer? This concerns all of us, you know?"

The intense tanned girl growled in frustration and then she huffed and mumbled, "Fine." Then she took a deep inhale and let out a large exhale. "Very well, yes cockroach boy, yes that is what I am referring to. I think this all has to do with the first test, if we find the "thing" and complete the challenge then I think we'll be allowed to leave and we can return to normality."

The silver-haired boy spoke up again. "So, what's the point of all of this?" He turned to me. "Come on, don't leave the rest of us out of the loop."

This was it, no turning back. If I told them what I saw up there on the fifth floor their worlds would be changed forever, they would realize just like me that this had become a nightmare the moment we walked into the school. I started to have second thoughts. I thought that maybe I could spare them that shock and awe for just a little longer and have them discover it for themselves. But, did I really want them to go through what I want through when I saw Hajime like…like that? I could feel my stomach churning again. 'Am I going to vomit again?' I thought to myself. Then I took in a deep breath and tried to clear my thoughts as I prepared myself for the coming strife that would ensue. "Well…you see…the "thing" mentioned in the secret messages on the letters is a…it's a…it's a…"

The boy with the shoulder length black hair and bad temper suddenly exploded on me. "Ugh, dammit it's a what?! A what?! Don't just stand there jabbering like an idiot, speak the hell up already!"

I frowned again and then did my best to continue. "It's a dea…"

"Hang on a second there, Maita-kun," Izuru interrupted. "I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Now, why don't we slow down for a minute or two and enjoy this time we get to spend together before we get straight to work? Besides if we get to know each other a little bit better first it may benefit us in the long run."

The girl with pink hair seemed just as confused as I was. "What are you going on about now? Obviously he knows something important, so we should hear him out."

Izuru half-closed his eyes and smirked as he crossed his arms. "Actually, what the "two of us" have to tell you all will shock you to high heaven. So I suggest we take things slow and get to know each other first before we dive into anything too serious. But I doubt that anyone here has ever been in that kind of relationship before so I can understand why you seem so rushed."

The auburn-haired boy spoke up. "Uh, dude you're not making any sense."

"I'm saying that the snobbish girl is right," Izuru replied.

The intense girl glared at Izuru and growled. "Excuse me, I know that you're not referring to me, right?!"

"Of course not, what I meant to say was that the beautiful and smart girl is right."

Then her expression suddenly changed to gleeful. "Oh! Very well insect, you may proceed."

"Gladly," Izuru replied.

'She seriously fell for that?' I asked myself as I sweatdropped.

Then Izuru cleared his throat and continued to explain his intentions. "As I was saying before, I think she's right about this just being part of the test. Why don't we just assume for all intents and purposes that everything is under control and proceed with introductions?"

It took me a second to decide if he was serious, but he was. Izuru was calm and collective, like he knew exactly what to expect from this unexpected situation. It surprised and terrified me that he was able to act like this. "Introductions?!" I exclaimed.

The silver-haired boy was right behind me. "You…you can't be serious?!"

Then the pink-haired girl. "After discussing so much and going through all of that you want us to just ignore our current situation and introduce ourselves?!"

Then the hot tempered boy. "Are you that seriously messed up in the head?!"

Izuru didn't even so much as bat an eye. "I'm just saying that we shouldn't be solely focused on the negative or the peculiar. I also believe that there's nothing to be worried about. This is simply Hope's Peak Academy's first test for the extracurricular course, nothing more, and nothing less. We all gathered here because of the messages we each received when we woke up, correct?"

'And of all those messages, I got the only one that mentions all the creepy stuff. Or am I?' My gaze wafted over to Izuru. 'Did he get a message like I did too?' Everyone looked around at each other, as if asking with their eyes if the case was the same for each of them. The only one who hadn't come here for answers was me, I came to escape this nightmare because I already knew the identity of the "thing" we were supposed to find. And yet, Izuru, who knew the answer as well had completely feigned ignorance. Was it because he thought the others weren't ready to know the truth yet or because of some other reason? But I for one could tell by the looks on the others' faces that they were on edge just as much as I was. And I didn't want to frighten them anymore. So I decided to keep my mouth shut…at least for now.

The white-haired boy chuckled and spoke up again. "Since we're going to be classmates it might be more efficient if we learn everyone's name before doing anything else." He smiled his big smile. "Alright, count me in."

Then the girl with the wavy black hair spoke up. "If Chuudoku-kun agrees then so does Jagaimo-chan hebi. She's with you Kokushibyou-kun hebi!"

Then the timid girl. "I-It would b-be ni-nice to f-formally meet ev-everyone. Okay…I'll do it too."

Then the girl with the top hat. "Qui, meeting new people is tres fantastique."

Then the pink-haired girl gave in. "Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt, since it looks like we're all stuck in here together for the time being."

And then the guy with the bad temper finally gave in. "Geez, fine just be quick about it. I don't want to waste any more time."

Izuru snickered in glee. "Splendid, now since Maita-kun arrived last I think he should start us off. But since the two of us have already met, this will be solely for the rest of you guys' enjoyment. Now take us away, Maita-kun."

I sighed in exasperation. "Alright fine." Then I thought, 'Here goes nothing.' I did my best to force a smile and seem somewhat happy. "Hi, my name is Akira Maita…and this is my first time here actually."

The silvery blonde girl asked, "First time here? Did you just transfer in?"

Then Izuru cut in. "Nope, he's from the Reserve Department."

Then the auburn-haired boy cut in. "A Reserve Department student?! Dude, unreal it's like staring at a freaking unicorn!"

That comment surprised me. "Eh?"

The hot pink-haired girl giggled and then explained, "He means that none of us have ever really seen a student from the Reserve Department before. From what I understand, the faculty and staff of Hope's Peak Academy advised that the main school not interact with the Reserve Department school. They said something about not wanting to interfere with their studies and daily lives. I for one have never even laid eyes on a Reserve Department student save for when the school day ends for them and they leave the campus to go home. We live on the campus you see, so we don't get to go home as often as you do." There was a small frown on her face. "It must be nice, getting to see your family each and every day. I can only imagine. Oh, sorry I'm rambling, aren't I? Go ahead, please continue."

The smile I had on my face was genuine now. "Um, okay." Then I thought, 'They're interested in me? Huh, maybe not all Ultimate high schoolers are snobby jerks like the ones I've seen before.' Then I continued to speak, "Um, I'm not really sure what else I should say. I'm pretty average for the most part, and to be honest I was completely surprised when I was first invited to come here."

Then the girl with the dark blue hair in a ponytail spoke up. "So what's your title then Mr. Akira Maita?"

"Eh?" I replied.

"Well even if you are from the Reserve Department they should've given you a title for use in the extracurricular course, right?" she asked.

"Yep, that does sound like something the academy would do. They're always so obsessed with silly titles," the white-haired boy added.

"Well I…I don't know if I should say," I replied.

The intense girl cracked a smile. "Ooh, it's something embarrassing. Go on and tell, I promise not to laugh…much."

I sighed and said, "Ultimate Wannabe." I rubbed my shoulder to emphasize my nervousness. "You see I've wanted to come to this school since I was very little. It's all I've ever really wanted to do, besides being a student here I've never had any other kind of goal. I guess that's why I have that as my title." I expected the others to laugh at me so I stayed quiet, but even after a few moments passed no one said a word…until he spoke up. The smiling white-haired boy.

"Interesting, it appears I've found a kindred spirit. It's nice to meet you Akira-kun, my name is Nagito Komaeda. And I'm just like you…I came to this school solely out of admiration. There's no other place like this school on Earth, it's the absolute pinnacle of hope and everyone who knows the name of this place agrees whole-heartedly. How could you possibly not admire this school?"

NAGITO KOMAEDA: ULTIMATE LUCKY STUDENT

Nagito's skin tone was very pale – almost pure white actually –, along with his hair and light gray eyes, his skin made him appear sickly and ill. But his smile and happy go lucky attitude made him seem like he was perfectly healthy. His inside and outside did not match at all. And his clothes were very peculiar as well. He wore a long dark green coat that went down past his knees and had a jagged-cut tail. There were red squares on the right shoulder of the coat, and a large red number '55' on the back of it. And underneath his coat he wore what appeared to be a blue hospital gown, but he was wearing pants, the gown was just tucked into them. Very weird. His pants were black in color and had a series of chains and zippers going all around them and they were strapped to his waist by a loose fitting brown belt with a creepy smiley face shaped belt buckle. He wore a pair of ugly and worn brown boots that were taped up in several places and were missing a few shoelaces. And most peculiar of all were the items that covered his hands, they weren't gloves no that would make a little sense at least. They were oven mitts. Yeah, oven mitts. Big burgundy colored oven mitts which covered his hands completely. It was almost like he had some reason to hide his hands, but for whatever reason I could only imagine. Based on his appearance it was safe to assume that people usually avoided him, but he didn't seem like a bad guy, just an off guy.

But Nagito's appearance didn't really matter to me, only his words struck a chord with me. I've always believed that anything is possible as long as you believe in it strongly enough. I was a dreamer who wished and hoped to be someone completely different from the person I was born as, that was the reason I admired Hope's Peak Academy so much. It was a school that praised difference and individuality. I wanted to go here because I thought that maybe…just maybe I would be able to find what sets me apart from others, my own sense of individuality, my own talent. I didn't know Hajime that well but what I did know about him was that he was a realist who believed that hard work and aspiration could be the equivalent of pure talent, he had strong hopes to be somebody even without having any kind of talent. I didn't think there was anyone else in the world who I could relate to besides him but right now I was looking at another strong believer in hope. Nagito Komaeda.

"I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student, you see," Nagito continued his introduction. "Have you heard the rumor of how each year the academy selects one random student out of the entire country by lottery and gives them the opportunity to enroll? Well it's no rumor, it's true. I'm living proof that such a worthless talent like luck exists. I'm nothing like the other main school students, the only reason I'm here is because I'm just a tad bit luckier than most people, really nothing special at all. But I've always admired hope, it's the strongest thing in the whole world. If you have hope you're unbeatable, that's what I believe. So I jumped at the opportunity to attend the school that is said to represent hope itself. I've always thought that I was alone in my beliefs, but "luckily" I was proven wrong. I hope the two of us can become good friends Akira-kun. Okay, I think that's it on my end, there's nothing else special about trash like me."

At first I thought that he could be right. Maybe the two of us could become friends, maybe even the best of friends. But what I didn't know then was that under that smile and carefree attitude of his there lied a perverse mind with a sick and otherworldly obsession of hope. But I didn't find that out until much later, when it was already too late.

The pink-haired girl spoke up again. "Alright then, I guess I'll go next. Hi everyone, my name is Micho Auruka, nice to meet you."

MICHO AURUKA: ULTIMATE DEFENSE ATTORNEY

Like I said before, Micho had short hot pink colored hair, an ahoge, and crystal blue eyes. Unlike Nagito's, her outfit was simple and something you would expect a girl to wear. She wore a fuzzy blue sweater, a matching blue beanie hat which had a hole in it for her ahoge to fit through so it wouldn't be covered, oddly enough. She also wore a purple skirt, a pair of knee high pink and white striped socks, and a pair of sensible purple shoes.

"I'm the Ultimate Defense Attorney, my talent lies in the courtroom and I'm pretty good at doing what I do. I actually found a series of cases that were mishandled and overturned them, granting the wrongfully accused their freedom again. I believe that the world should be a fair place for everyone and not be a cesspool that the rich and powerful can pervert and use as how they see fit, so I guess you could say I admire high moral values. But enough bragging long-windedness, I'll send you off with this, my dream is to become the world's best lawyer and clean up the justice system once and for all so it can be fair and impartial for all. Because whether you know it or not there's a lot of injustice in the world and someone needs to set things right." Then a light blush spread across her cheeks, "Aww no, that sounded really cheesy didn't it? Someone else please go, I'm embarrassed now."

"Let Azami-tan go next, please Wataame-chan hebi?!" the girl with the wavy black hair exclaimed.

Micho giggled and replied, "Aww, how could I not after you gave me a cute nickname like that?"

"Yay!" she exclaimed and then she began to introduce herself. "Hello classmates, Azami-tan shall now introduce herself hebi. Azami-tan's full name is Azami Jagaimo, and she is pleased to meet ya hebi."

AZAMI JAGAIMO: ULTIMATE OCULIST

Like I said before, Azami had black wavy hair about her neck length and a pair of round purple eyes. She also had this kind of pale porcelain skin, and I'm almost too embarrassed to even think it, but she had a pretty big bust. She wore a pair of white cat hair clips and a black cat ears hairband; she also wore a white block pattern scarf, a black buttoned shirt, a white accordion pleat skirt, a pair of black stockings with white polka dots and white ankle stripes, and a pair of black shoes. She was unique to say the least.

"But Azami-tan would like to make one thing clear before she continues hebi. Azami-tan is okay with girls calling her "Azami-tan" but boys must call her "Jagaimo-chan" hebi."

"Why be more specific for boys?" the auburn-haired boy asked. "I mean you're talking in third person anyway."

"No hebi! Jagaimo-chan for boys hebi!" Then a light blush spread across her face and she began to stutter a little. "T-That way it ca-can rem-remain formal." And then the blush immediately faded away and she regained her overexcited demeanor. "Okay moving on hebi! Azami-tan is known as the Ultimate Oculist hebi!"

"Ultimate Oculist?" Micho repeated.

"It's a doctor who specializes in eyes," the bad tempered boy explained. "They prescribe glasses to people who need them, diagnose diseases of the eye, and some even specialize in hypnosis."

"Wow, Surudoi-kun knows a lot about Jagaimo-chan's talent hebi! You're really smart Surudoi-kun hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"Shut up ugly, I just know all that because I have a doctorate grade talent as well," he replied.

Azami scrunched up her nose. "Mean as always Surudoi-kun hebi!" Then she cracked a smile, "You should be nicer to Jagaimo-chan, she'll have you know that she is in fact one of those oculists who practice hypnosis, and she's quite good at it too hebi. If you're not careful she could play a trick on you hebi~," she threatened in a sing-song voice. Then she giggled and said, "Okay, you can go next hebi."

"Me?" the bad tempered boy raised one of his eyebrows. "Do I really have to?"

"Come on, we're all opening up now so you might as well do it too. Who knows, we might all end up becoming very good friends," Nagito said with a smile on his face.

Then the bad tempered boy groaned and replied, "Fine, if I must. My name is Yasuke Matsuda and like I said before I have a doctorate grade talent. And while ugly, clueless Jagaimo-chan is an eye doctor, I'm a doctor who specializes in the brain. I'm the Ultimate Neurologist, and I'm not to be taken lightly."

YASUKE MATSUDA: ULTIMATE NEUROLOGIST

Like I said before, Yasuke had messy shoulder length black hair, a small side swiped ahoge, and pale blue eyes. He wore a white dress shirt, the left half of which was the only part that was tucked in, and a loosely and sloppily worn black tie that was adorned with red decals. He also wore a pair of black trousers, a black belt with a silver buckle, and a pair of brown bathroom slippers. His whole appearance, demeanor, and personality gave the strongest impression that he didn't give a fuck about anything. I couldn't have been more right.

"….." He kept silent after introducing himself. And then finally he noticed that we were waiting for him to continue. "What?" he asked, "I gave you my name and my title, isn't that enough?"

"Well it would be nice if we knew something more personal," Micho said. "I mean I even said aloud what my dream was."

Yasuke snickered and replied, "Exactly, letting something as embarrassing as that slip by may work for dumb girls like you, but that's not my style."

"You've got a bad attitude, you know that dude?" the auburn-haired boy said.

"Well if you don't want to share something that personal, why don't you just tell us something small. Like what do you like to do in your free time? You know when you're not working on brains or whatever?" I suggested.

Yasuke groaned, "Well if you must know, the thing I enjoy doing most is relaxing and reading manga."

"Manga?" Nagito repeated, "I did not see that one coming."

"Probably weird manga though, like super seinen or something off the charts creepy, edgy, and M-rated. He might even be one of those creeps who consider erotic manga and hentai as regular reading material," the intense girl said with a giggle.

"Not even close to my tastes, ugly duckling. Do me a favor and stop quacking at me, would ya?" he replied to her like it was nothing.

"Ugh, I know you are not talking to me in that disgusting tone! Apologize or else I will make you regret the day you were ever born!" she replied.

"Already do, apparently I was born so I could be forced into this situation and see your ugly mug," Yasuke replied smugly.

It went back and forth like that for a few more minutes, getting increasingly loud and violent as time went on, until Micho finally got the intense girl to calm down by saying that she should introduce herself next. She gladly accepted on the grounds of quote "proving to that inferior male specimen and disgusting manga otaku that she was no less than a goddess" end quote.

She smiled a wide smile and cocked her head to the side as she introduced herself. "My name is Nodaka Hoshi, you may refer to me as Ms. Hoshi, Hoshi-san, Lady Hoshi, or even Hoshi-sama. But let me be clear, if you dare refer to me as Nodaka, Nodaka-chan, or some other stupid nickname or familiarity I will not hesitate to torture and punish you in the most brutal and horrible way imaginable. Are we clear, everyone?" she asked, still speaking calmly and wearing that wide smile. Everyone in the room, including Yasuke, immediately went pale in the face. We could tell by her lack of emotion that she wasn't kidding.

NODAKA HOSHI: ULTIMATE MAID

Like I said before, Nodaka had short lavender colored hair, a small tuft of which was tied into a small braid on the right side of her face, tanned skin, and chartreuse colored eyes. She wore a traditional maid outfit, kind of like you see in anime, games, and manga, and in real life at certain cafés, although if I said that out loud she probably would've killed me. Her outfit was pretty much what you would expect, down to the black shirt, black skirt, white frilly apron, white frilly hairband, white frilly wrist cuffs, knee-high white socks, and fancy black shoes. It looked kind of cute to be honest, but no way in hell was I saying that out loud.

"I am known as the Ultimate Maid, and I am a maid of many talents. I do everything with perfection and poise, I can clean so well that you can literally eat off the floor – and judging by the looks of most of you I assume you do that already –, and speaking of which I have been trained and certified as a gourmet chef so I can make mouth-watering cuisine." Then one by one she started to list off the things she could do "perfectly and with elegant grace" on her fingers. She actually had to use all ten of her fingers three times to make room for all her boastfulness, but I'll spare you that grief and cut to the end, "…also I'm an excellent seamstress, I made all my clothes and all my mistress' clothes myself. And then there's my gardening, tending to flowers always heals the soul and I find it quite relaxing. And of course my martial arts and self-defense training, my mistress spares no expense on me to make sure that I am fit to serve by her side and protect her at all times. And last but not least, I am the perfect friend, granted I don't extend this curtesy to many but believe me when I say that when you gain my respect I will stick by your side through thick and thin."

I smiled at that last part, and then she had to go and ruin it.

"But I doubt any of you will ever have such luxuries extended by me," she said with a nasty giggle. "I serve no one but my mistress, I am her servant alone. So I intend to use this time as vacation, I don't intend to lift a finger in helping any of you miscreants and troglodytes. You can all die. Die painful deaths for all I care. None of you will ever be given the curtesy I provide, especially not you cockroach boy so you might as well stop smiling at me." Then her tone grew dark and she glared. "Seriously, stop or I'll make you stop." It was silent in the entrance hall for a few minutes after that. The negativity that Nodaka had cast was heavy. The only one who seemed unaffected by her verbal abuse was Nagito, and that was probably just because he was used to it. Nodaka Hoshi was definitely an unbearable person, but from the moment I saw her…I don't know, something just clicked. A feeling, a very familiar feeling. But I was probably just imagining things. "Okay, enough wallowing in self-pity. Which of you plebeians wants to go next?"

The silver-haired boy sighed in exasperation and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, why not? Might as well get this over with." He didn't smile or frown, his expression was more of the serious variety, not too serious, but serious enough to let you know that he knew how to handle things. "Where to start?" he asked himself. "My name I guess? Yeah, sure, start with basics," he muttered to himself before he began his introduction. "My name's Soshun Murasame, my first name means "early spring" and my last name as a whole means "passing shower". You might find it humorous because of that saying "early showers bring spring flowers" but I've never found much humor in it. It's my own name after all. I just got the name because I was born in the spring, and oddly enough just as my last name implies on a rainy day. I do not know if there's any deeper meaning to this but it was a strange phenomenon so I thought none the less it would be an interesting topic to talk about. Now what else?"

SOSHUN MURASAME: ULTIMATE STUDENT COUCNIL PRESIDENT

Like I said before, Soshun had short silver hair along with a large crescent shaped ahoge on the top of his head and a pair of yellow eyes that were hidden behind a pair of black glasses. He wore a black V-neck t-shirt with a decal of a cartoonish skull on it, a pair of dark green cargo pants, a pair of black studded bracelets on both his wrists, and a pair of black and white sneakers. Now these clothes might have appeared normal for an average boy, but Soshun was no average boy which was why his appearance was very conflicting.

He began to cock his head to the side as he was thinking of what else to tell us. "I'm 18, and my talent and reason for coming to Hope's Peak Academy is that I'm a good leader."

Yasuke temper raised an eyebrow in confusion and exclaimed, "What the hell kind of talent is that?! Don't just say random things you imbecile!"

"Well it must be a good talent because I was picked to come to Hope's Peak Academy under the title of Ultimate Student Council President," Soshun replied in a calm manner.

That one threw me through a loop. "Ultimate Student Council President? I know that when you're on the student council you have these duties and responsibilities but I'm not sure how that qualifies as a talent. What is it that you do exactly?" I asked.

"I don't really understand it either, to tell you the truth." Soshun scratched the back of his head and then looked down at the floor as he explained his position. "I was always a slacker at my old school. I never did any homework, slept through all my classes, and flunked about every single one."

"How can a person like that be student council president? And further, how can you be the student council president at our school when I've never even heard of you?" Micho asked. "Does Hope's Peak Academy even have a student council?"

"Yeah, are you lying dude? If you had that kind of title surely you'd be giving speeches left and right, right? And I don't ever remember electing for you," the auburn-haired boy added.

"Like I said, I don't get it. One day a teacher from Hope's Peak Academy came to my house and asked me if I wanted to come here and my parents wouldn't stop bugging me about it so I gave in. End of story."

"That…that can't be the end though. How did you get in to Hope's Peak Academy without any real talent?" I asked.

"The teacher who brought me here told me that I was picked because I have good leadership skills, but I didn't know what the hell he was talking about, I've never been a leader in anything in all my life. Even now whenever I have something important to do, I just slack off or fall asleep or whatever, and then somebody else ends up doing it for me. And from what I understand the student council of Hope's Peak is like top secret or something. We always meet in different locations and there's like a bunch of non-disclosure agreements the teachers make us sign at each meeting. Truth be told, the other student council members are way more talented than I am and yet they still call me a leader. It's kind of baffling actually. And the reason I was against doing introductions in the first place was because I wanted to get through this whole extracurricular course as fast as possible so I could go home. I hate being at school on holidays."

The blue-haired ponytail girl spoke up again. "But you seem pretty smart, why not even try Mr. Soshun Murasame?"

Soshun shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, it all just seems pointless to me, I guess." Then he looked around the room. "Hey if we really have been kidnapped then does anybody have any bright ideas to get out? Because I've got nothing, I'm good at adding things up but not solving anything. Again, not leader material."

"Then you're probably the biggest idiot of all." We all turned to the left side of the room where the muttering boy was standing alone. He finally acknowledged that we were there and decided to speak up. "How can an idiot like you be student council president, even if it is for a top secret one?" he asked Soshun. "It doesn't make sense."

"We've been over this already, I don't know half the details myself. It's just like they were giving out a free pass and I took it, end of story. And who are you to belittle me anyway?" Soshun asked.

The muttering boy walked up to the rest of us until he was face to face with Soshun, revealing that he was a few inches shorter than him. The boy then crossed his arms over his chest and introduced himself. "My name is Jonathan Junmaru, don't forget it."

JONATHAN JUNMARU: ULTIMATE PROCRASTINATOR

Jonathan's brown hair went down to his shoulders in length and it curled slightly at the end, and he also had blue eyes which were hidden behind a pair of brown glasses. He wore a formal red shirt with a little monogramed eye decal on his left breast, a pair of tattered blue jeans, and a pair of red sneakers. A modest outfit for a boy who was anything but.

Jonathan continued, "I'm the Ultimate Procrastinator."

"Ultimate Procrastinator?" I repeated, "Oh come on, that's even more ridiculous than the Ultimate Student Council President."

Jonathan turned his gaze to me for a second. "But is it any more ridiculous than Ultimate Wannabe?" Touché.

Then Jonathan turned his attention back to Soshun. "My talent allows me to be aware of everything around me by looking away from the things right in front of me. It's like influential object awareness, I can focus on anything else except the most important thing concerning me. In this case, the point behind us all being here, and ignore it so I can observe and record minuscule details that no one else notices. For instance, in the ten minutes that we've been here I've already counted each and every stud in the metal walls of this room. 5,648."

"Whoa, that's super creepy, dude! How the hell did he do that?!" the auburn-haired boy exclaimed.

"He's obviously lying, duh," Nodaka chimed in.

"I'm not lying," Jonathan replied, "If you want to check for yourself then go ahead and take your time, it's not going to change the number of studs in the room. Just like it's not going to change the fact that there's exactly 27 strips of tape on that kid Nag's boots," he said as he pointed to Nagito. "Or the fact that there's a mothball on the front bottom right of that girl Mi's sweater. Or the fact that that girl with the bobbed hair in the corner over there is doing her best to conceal a tattoo of a dog on her right hand." In response to Jonathan's accusations Nagito looked down at his boots and began counting the strips of tape holding them together, Micho looked down at her sweater and saw that there was indeed a small mothball about the size of a thumbtack on it, and the girl in the back corner pulled down the right sleeve of her shirt over her hand.

"Mi and Nag?" I repeated in confusion.

"Remembering other people's names is a hassle and a waste of time, so I give shortened nicknames for them to keep track of who's who," Jonathan explained. "As you can imagine I don't have a lot of friends but that lone disadvantage doesn't even come close to outweighing the theoretical magnitude of my talent. That is the power of procrastination," Jonathan said in a self-proclaiming way. "When you don't want to focus on one thing you have the capability to focus on a whole bunch of things in order to keep your mind occupied. In other words, doing this I'm able to see everything at once."

Then the boy who loved writing spoke up again in gasp of exclamation. "Like a real life Sherlock Holmes, cool!" We all turned to face him and when he realized this he tried to hide his face in his journal again but the boy with the short orange hair and newspaper boy hat snatched it away from him before he could.

"Yoink!" the orange-haired boy said he hoisted it out of the other boy's reach. Then he looked to me and threw it to me, "Think fast!"

I caught it but when it fell into my hands it accidentally plopped open to a recently used page. And that's when I saw it, what the boy was writing down in the book. Everything. He was literally writing down everything. Descriptions of each person, our circumstances, even what each person said word for word. It was like something a court stenographer would do, or someone who was extremely OCD. Either way this was other-worldly.

"Um…d-did you s-see?" I heard someone ask me. I looked up from the journal and saw that the writing boy had appeared in front of me. I was so engrossed in the contents of the journal that I hadn't even noticed him.

I immediately closed the journal and then handed it back to him. "Uh, yeah sorry, it plopped open when I caught it. I didn't mean to read it on purpose."

He seemed unnerved by what had happened. He was practically the same height as me but I felt like I was five feet taller than him. He had a real timid aura about him. "I-It's okay, y-you didn't m-mean it."

"Hey don't leave us in suspense, what was inside Akira dude?!" the auburn-haired boy exclaimed. To which he got nudged in the stomach by Micho.

"Mind your own business," she whispered harshly to him.

"Sorry, about that," the orange-haired boy said to the writing boy. "It's just that I didn't think you'd introduce yourself willingly, so I decided to give you a little nudge. Come on Jose, show them what makes you special."

"Um…i-is it o-okay if I go n-next?" he asked us, to which we all nodded. He smiled and then introduced himself, "H-Hello, m-my name is J-Jose Hi-Historia, n-nice to m-meet you."

JOSE HISTORIA: ULTIMATE HISTORIAN

Jose was of average height but he looked really frail and scrawny, kind of like you would break him if you gave him a hug. He had messy light brown hair and silvery eyes. He wore London-style clothing, which included a brown tweed hat, a white shirt, a brown coat, a pair of long brown pants, and a pair of black shoes. He also wore an old looking smoking pipe that was tied with a coil of nylon rope around his neck as a necklace. And the journal he carried was leather made and brown. His whole appearance screamed old-timey detective, which was probably why he reacted in that way about Sherlock Holmes.

"I-I'm the U-Ultimate His-Historian, and I love h-his-history," he continued.

"Historian, that's all?" Jonathan asked. "From the way Aki reacted to reading the contents of your journal I assumed you were something like the Ultimate Novelist."

I sweatdropped. 'I guess I'm supposed to be Aki then?' I asked myself.

"W-Well it's a l-little com-complicated to exp-explain…um y-you s-see I…I…," Jose started to trail off until the orange-haired boy appeared again and snatched away his journal yet again. Then he threw it to Jonathan, who without hesitation opened and read the contents. A few seconds later Jonathan appeared to be shocked beyond belief.

"H-How, did y-you…?" Jonathan started.

"I…r-record history as I s-see it," Jose explained.

The orange-haired boy then spoke. "You see, Jose and me are in the same class so that's how I know about his talent. Everything that goes on around him he writes down in his journals, he says it's for keeping history intact. But I just use it as an excuse to sleep through class and copy his notes. I haven't failed a test yet!" he boldly exclaimed.

"H-History is im-important, wh-what if we al-all sud-suddenly di-died? There would b-be no one le-left to tell our sto-story to. So I wr-write everything down just in case s-something happ-happens," Jose explained.

"Th-That's insane, dude! How can he even write that fast?" the auburn-haired boy asked in confusion.

"It's just a gift I guess," Jose replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

Not only was he able to write at an incredible pace, but he could also make his handwriting look nice and clean as he went along. Jose was a truly gifted boy. "Okay my turn next!" the orange-haired boy exclaimed. "What's up guys? The name's Cam Yano and I'm the Ultimate AV Tech!"

CAM YANO: ULTIMATE AV TECHNICIAN

Like I said, Cam had short dyed orangeish hair, which was covered up by a dark blue newspaper boy hat, and purplish-blue eyes. He had a pale complexion and a husky voice despite being scrawny. He wore a white dress shirt, a sleeveless argyle vest, a red tie, a pair of dark blue jeans which were held up by a stylish black belt, and a pair of green and white shoes.

'Yano?' I repeated the name inside my head. 'Why do I feel like I should know that name?'

"Ultimate AV Tech?" Micho repeated, "So your talent is that you're good with projectors and stereos and stuff?"

Cam snickered and replied, "Please, don't group me together with lame techies like that. Unlike them I live and breathe cyber crud! Haven't you guys ever heard of Paradox?"

"Paradox?" Soshun repeated, "You mean that giant high-end software and electronics company that sprung up over night? What about them?"

Cam seemed shocked by that comment. "What? You mean you don't even know about yours truly at all? After all the trouble the founder went through in building that company, and people don't even have the decency to wonder who they are? Are they really okay with the CEO and head of a multibillion dollar corporation being nameless and faceless? What if the CEO was like Lex Luthor or something? They could be a supervillain controlling the world through the cyber plane and no one would even know until it was too late!"

"Wha-What are y-you talking about, Cam? I tho-thought you we-were the Ult-Ultimate AV Technician bec-because you we-were the pres-president of the AV cl-club?" Jose looked confused.

Cam huffed and crossed his arms, he looked like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. "Yeah, yeah, of course that's why. I'm the wiz kid who knows everything digital and electronic. I am tech support incarnate, that's the only reason I have that as my title. The only reason."

"Wow, it's nice to meet someone as interested in computers and technology as I am!" the timid girl suddenly exclaimed, catching us all by surprise. She seemed really excited and happy.

And then when she saw that we were all staring at her she reverted back to her fidgety, stuttery, and timid form. "I-I'm sor-sorry, I di-didn't mean to sh-shout like that. It's j-just I did-didn't think there wo-would be an-anyone here I could talk to ab-about that ki-kind of stuff. Usually pe-people think I-I'm weird for go-going on ab-about computers so much."

I saw out of the corner of my eye that's Cam's eyes had almost completely widened, and a light blush had spread across his face. Then he began to start walking closer and closer to the timid girl until he was directly in front of her. The timid girl seemed to be the most confused at Cam's behavior out of all of us. And then suddenly he blurted out a question to the timid girl. "You're her right? The computer prodigy, Chihiro Fujisaki?"

Her eyes went wide and then she started to nervously touch her fingers together. "Y-Yes, th-that's…me," she stuttered out.

CHIHIRO FUJISAKI: ULTIMATE PROGRAMMER

The girl, named Chihiro, had short layered brown hair and greenish-brown eyes, like I said before. Her figure seemed almost doll-like, in size and in appearance. She appeared to be wearing a somewhat bookish outfit. She wore a navy blue dress shirt over a white undershirt, a red flannel skirt, a matching red lace bow around her collar, a pair of black knee-high socks, and a pair of sensible-looking white shoes. She also had a small pink and white rabbit hairpin on the right side of her head.

After answering Cam's question Chihiro then looked down at the floor to escape Cam's curious gaze. I think I, along with everyone else, was baffled at the sight of the boy and girl. And what came as an even bigger surprise was what Cam did next. He brought his right hand up underneath Chihiro's chin and picked her head up, making her fidget even more from the sudden contact. And then he took her right hand in his left hand and crouched down on one knee. "I know this is sudden, and I don't even have a ring, but I'm positive that you're the one for me. Ever since I first laid eyes on you I've thought that I want to be together with you always no matter what. That's why, Chihiro Fujisaki will you marry me?"

I think we all ended up gasping at that point, either that or just resorting to wearing extremely shocked faces, or in the cases of people like Nagito, a great big smile. "Oh this is so amazing, we've barely been here for fifteen minutes and we already have our first relationship. Cam x Chihiro, I can see that you two are going to be so cute together." Then Nagito sighed. "This sight feels my heart with such warmth, it makes me think that true love is one of the greatest types of hope in the world. If you two can find true love than maybe there's hope even for a pathetic, waste of space, piece of garbage like me."

"Dude, seriously you are going way overboard with that persecution complex, and how the hell can you be so damn excited?! Do you even realized what just happened?! He didn't ask her out, or even set a mood, or anything, he just came flat out and popped the big question! Don't you understand anything at all?!" the auburn-haired boy exclaimed to Nagito.

Nagito waved him off. "Of course I do, and he came out way too fast and hasn't even built a relationship with her yet. It's doomed to fail. But there's still that one little sliver of hope that in that exact moment she falls in love with him at first sight as well and says yes. And seeing the potential that tiny little shard of hope has is what gets me so excited. If you can't understand the hope that's in love at first sight then you're just a cold-hearted cynic in my book."

Chihiro, however, seemed to be well out of Nagito's line of reasoning. She was fidgeting even more than when Cam first walked up to her. Her legs were shaking, her hands were trembling, and cute little squeals kept escaping from her mouth. Wait why did I say cute? I mean sure she's cute…no wait more than that, kawaii or moe don't even do her justice…wait my point? Oh yeah, but that didn't change the fact that she must have been panicking like crazy. If Cam was really just playing a joke or teasing her he had to call it off right now. I think Chihiro was starting to actually tear up a little.

Then Micho, being the voice of reason, and Nodaka, who shot Cam a wicked glare, both grabbed him and threw him, yes I said threw, forcefully to the other side of the room. Cam landed flat on his back and struggled to get up. "Hey…what the hell was that for?!" he shouted at the two strong-willed girls.

"How dare you toy with a girl's feelings like that?! Even if you just did it to tease her you took it way too far! You very nearly scared her half to death!" Micho shouted back at Cam, surprising us all. Of all the girls here she seemed to be the most laid back.

Then Nodaka chimed in. "My mistress would have me do horrible, God awful things to any male who dared have the audacity to court her! Every one of them knew not to so much as write a confession letter because there would be dire consequences inflicted by me! That programmer girl may not be my mistress but she reminds me of her so much, so back the fuck off of her or I'll kill you dead!"

Cam looked away. "But I meant every word I said. It wasn't a joke or anything, I've loved Chihiro Fujisaki from the very moment I laid eyes on her…programming work." That one got us, we all did a double take. Chihiro by far seemed to be the most confused. Cam got back up on his feet and started to explain. "You don't understand what things are like in my world. We techies all come from different backgrounds and we all have our different stories, but one thing…one thing, unites us all. Our love of technology! And several programs that made us techies rethink the way we viewed computers and all electronics were given to us by the one who the fabled underground of the cyber plane refer to as the mother of all programming, Eve. The exceptionally talented Chihiro Fujisaki who single-handedly made the world's most advanced weak AI, the one who's even going so far as to make the world's first strong AI. The moment I saw her code, and the moment I heard her voice through the question and answer filter, I knew right away that she was the girl I was going to make my bride." Cam's face turned serious and he turned to look in Chihiro's direction. "I didn't realize you were her until I heard your voice, your excited and happy voice that you tend to hide from everybody because you're so damn shy. That voice that you used for your program, that angelic voice. I had heard that you went to our school but I thought it was just a rumor someone started to mess with me. But it was true, you're here in the flesh. And I solemnly vow from this day forward, that I will not stop badgering you until you say yes to my proposal. This I swear on my honor as a man!"

"Enough!" Yasuke shouted as he conked Cam out with a surprise blow to the top of the head from his fist. Which made Cam stop yammering and start wobbling around with dizzy-looking eyes until he finally collapsed in a nearby corner. "Sorry," Yasuke said, "Someone had to shut that idiot up."

Jonathan looked very relieved. "Thank you!"

"Qui, it was getting…how you say…awkward, no?" the girl with the top hat asked. "Now mes amis, let us continue with les introductions! If you please, I shall now follow Monsieur King of Hearts." Then she cleared her throat and began her introduction, while Micho was busy comforting Chihiro. "Bonjour mes amis, my name is Connie Takemi. And I am a…how you say…foreign exchange student? And I am known as le Ultime Horologist."

CONNIE TAKEMI: ULTIMATE HOROLOGIST

Like I said before, Connie had short bright green hair, which was hidden under an odd top hat, and a pair of tiger orange eyes. She wore a smile on her face like it was common curtesy to be smiling all the time and judging by the accent I'm guessing she was French. She wore a light brown jacket with coat tails over a puffy white dress shirt. She also wore a pair of bright green pants, a pair of white gloves, a pair of black shoes, a pair of gold pocket watches which were strung and wound around her jacket sleeved arms like some weird decoration, and the top hat that I mentioned before which was purple in color and had a card stuck that read _10/6_ tucked away inside a strap on the side. There was also a pair of red and green lensed goggles hanging around the base of her top hat and a large clock inside the hat, no I'm not kidding, there was an actual clock sewn inside the hat. I could see the hands of the hat clock moving, showing that the time was approaching 8:30 and it was ticking along with the pocket watches on her arms. This girl was like a walking alarm clock.

"Now then, what else shall I tell you, mes classmates?" Connie asked with her friendly smile.

"Ooh, Azami-tan has a question Gachingachin-chan hebi! What exactly is a horologist hebi?" Azami asked.

"Surely you jest?" Connie replied with a giggle. When she saw that Azami wasn't kidding, Connie gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth in surprise. "Mademoiselle Azami-tan Dee, you've really never heard of la horologists?! We make clocks, silly girl."

"Clocks?" I repeated in surprise. I didn't know what a horologist was either, I just didn't want to admit it.

"You as well, Monsieur Alice?!" Connie giggled at me and then wagged her finger and clicked her tongue. "It appears mes nouveaux amis are vraiment incompétent, no? Provide a brief history lesson for you I shall, no? Too bad, let's begin. In le very beginning all clocks were made slowly by hand by maîtres artisans, or how you say…master craftsmen? But that was back when that still had meaning. Anyway, they took their precious time to make la clocks flawless in design, shape, form, and chime. But soon people became too busy to simply wait for la clocks to be handmade and needed a portable sense of time. And that was when we made la very first handheld clock, otherwise known as la watch." Then Connie sighed, "But sadly those have become obsolete as well. In this day and age clocks are made in factories with mass production, putting la horologists out of business. There are so few of us left in la world now, but C'est la vie, modernization triumphs over craftsmanship every time. But my family still believes in le old ways of time keeping and I have set out to prove that my family's clocks can triumph over today's modern ways of keeping time by any means necessary. It I my duty as a Takemi Timekeeper!"

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and then spoke up. "You realize that's a completely unrealistic dream, don't you? Those things became obsolete for a reason, almost anything can screw them up. Which is why we have our watches and clocks mass produced now, and also have digital clocks, alarm clocks, and radio clocks as well. No one's going to accept the illogical way of thinking that something is better just because it looks pretty and took more time to make. I take it back, So isn't the biggest idiot here, you are by far Con."

Connie puffed her cheeks. "Ugh, you make me so angry Monsieur Caterpillar. I will show you yet la power of le Takemi Time Keepers, of this I vow!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Con. Someone else go so we can stop talking to this delusional steam punk idiot," Jonathan complained.

"Very well, I guess I'll go next then," the blue-haired girl with the ponytail spoke up. "Greetings, my name is Keiko Akasaka, nice to meet you," she said with a smile.

KEIKO AKASAKA: ULTIMATE CROUPIER

Like I said before, Keiko had dark blue hair that was done up in a ponytail and a pair of slate-gray eyes. She also had a lean body build, pencil-thin eyebrows, full lips, tanned skin that showed she liked the sun…and an ample bosom, again still embarrassed just thinking that. She wore a female-cut tuxedo top with a white silk handkerchief tucked away in her left breast pocket, a pair of white silk gloves, a black miniskirt, a pair of black stockings, and a pair of black stiletto high heels. Her physical appearance appeared to be that of a ganguro girl, but her fashion sense gave her the appearance of more of a magician than an unruly teen, as did her smile and that fake Southern accent that she dropped off. I could tell that she must have spent time in the US that was the only way she could have gotten that bad accent.

"I am known as the Ultimate Croupier and am quite skilled at the art of card dealing and gambling. There's no one in the world who can go toe to toe with me without losing their life savings in entirety. Of this I can assure you, so don't think you can dare win a single Yen off of sweet little old me or you will suffer quite a thrashing."

"Hey wait a second, wasn't there already a student with that talent at Hope's Peak Academy?" Micho asked. Then she stroked her chin and started thinking, "Yeah, her title was the Ultimate Gambler, I think her name was Taeko Yasuhiro."

All of a sudden a vein seemed to pop out of Keiko's forehead. While still smiling, she leaned in and silently screamed, "Yasuhiro! Don't you dare mention that wretched harlot in my presence ever again, you hear me?!"

We all took a step back. 'Okay, clearly she doesn't like this Taeko girl that much. Wonder why?' I asked myself.

Keiko took a few deep breaths and then she seemed to calm down. Then she started to explain things to us. "I was the original card champion of Hope's Peak Academy, but during my second year here I decided to drop out so I could pursue other opportunities."

That one shocked me. "You…you dropped out of Hope's Peak Academy, would they even let you do that?!"

"To tell you the truth Mr. Akira Maita, it was quite a hassle to get them to accept my terms so I decided to just tell them that I would like to study abroad and further develop my talent. So I went to the one place on Earth where any card dealer could become the best croupier the world over."

"Las Vegas, in the US, right?" Jonathan spoke up. "You took your talent there and studied up, right?"

"That is correct, Mr. Jonathan Junmaru. Next to Monte Carlo there is no better place where a card sharp can hone her skills like Las Vegas. And now I'm quite famous overseas, they even have many nicknames for little old me. And it was quite an enjoyable life too, I learned more about my talent than I ever thought possible. I wanted so dearly to stay but…Hope's Peak Academy insisted that it was time for me to return home. And upon my arrival back home, who do I find trying to take my seat as the gambling and card champion of the world? Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro, a freshman chunnibyou stricken girl who didn't even have to practice to be good! She's just a little witch who wins by pure luck and nothing more, no skill in her card play at all! There was no way I was going to let that little tramp steal my crown!" Then she stayed silent.

"So…what happened next?" I hesitated in asking.

Keiko seemed to get depressed all of a sudden. "I lost horribly. She beat me in just one hand."

"So much for all that overseas training, eh?" Yasuke replied with a snicker.

"Go on, go on, rub it in," Keiko replied. "Salt in my wounds merely fuels me. Because I will soon have my vengeance, I vowed that day that I would not stop until I was the absolute best in the world! Ms. Taeko Yoshiro is my undisputed rival in the world of gambling! And I will not rest until that tramp is bowing at my feet like the dog she is!" There was fire in her eyes when she told us about the vow she made. It appeared that to her, being the absolute best was the most important thing in the world. I remembered wondering, just why did it seem like that?

Then the cheerful and talkative girl exclaimed, "Alright, alright, I want to go next, I want to go next! Me! Me! Me! Me! Pick me! Pick me! Me! Me! Me!" She started jumping up and down as she held her right hand up in the air, showing just overeager she was.

I saw Yasuke's anger level rising before my very eyes. So many veins started popping out of his forehead, and oddly enough I saw a few anger marks appear too. Finally he shouted, "Shut the hell up already!" causing the cheerful girl to stop jumping and lower her hand. "Stop acting like a damn brat and just go already you stupid cow!"

She puckered up her lips and start talking down to Yasuke. "You don't have to be so mean, Matsuda-san, I was planning to introduce myself next anyway. You should learn to be more patient," she said as she wagged her finger at him.

Yasuke growled and growled and then he started rubbing his hands against his temples in a desperate attempt to remain calm. 'She seriously knows how to push his buttons,' I thought to myself.

The overeager girl then smiled and waved at all of us. "Hiya my name is Aya Kisaragi! Nice to meet you~!"

AYA KISARAGI: ULTIMATE MARINE BIOLOGIST

Like I said before, Aya had neat shoulder length black hair, a pair of black eyes, and pale skin. She wore a Hope's Peak Academy school uniform, complete with a blue jacket over a white dress shirt, a white skirt, blue knee-high socks, a pair of black shoes, and a blue bow ribbon tied around her collar. I could tell that the uniform was Hope's Peak Academy's because of the school crest on the jacket, but I had never seen a uniform design like hers' before. She seemed full of energy, like she had just eaten a lot of candy and drank a lot of coffee. How anyone could be so lively in our current unknown situation was beyond me.

"Hey guess what, guess what, guess what, guess what, guess what, guess what…?" that went on for a few more lines until Yasuke started up again.

"What?! Goddammit, what?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

She made a small peace sign and winked. "I'm the Ultimate Marine Biologist, so I know a lot things about undersea life." She started listing the things she knew off the top of her head, some obscure facts that hardly anyone knew, not even Jonathan or Yasuke. And then she went into the all the different animals and listed off every type of fish that could be found in our area, and then came…the sea sponges, Aya's favorite type of undersea creature. If you get her stared on sea sponges then let me just say, God help you! "I know everything there is to know about sea sponges, want to know how many different species of sponges there are?" She began to count off on her fingers. "There's Agelas cerebrum, Agelas cervicornis, Agelas citrine, Agelas clathrodes, Agelas conifer, Agelas…"

Before Yasuke could shout again I convinced Aya to wrap it up. "Um, Kisaragi-san it's great that you know all this stuff but could you just tell us the "number" of sea sponges there are? There's still more people who have to introduce themselves."

"Okeydokey artichokey," she replied with a thumbs up. "There's around 400 different species, give or take, and we're still discovering new ones each day."

"She seriously would've gone through 400 of them?!" Micho asked in surprise with wide eyes.

"What's even more, didn't you notice Mi?! They were in alphabetical order too!" Jonathan added.

I stared at Aya with disbelief. 'This girl's a different kind of frightening than Nodaka is,' I thought.

Yasuke's headache had gone away and he sighed in relief. "Oh sweet relief, someone for the love of God put a word count on that girl." Typical Yasuke, not sugarcoating anything.

"Um why don't I go next, I promise I won't take too long," the canary yellow-haired girl in the sunhat said.

"I'm Beigoma Kiyoshi, but just remember my first name is "Beigoma" not "Kiyoshi". That would be weird considering "Kiyoshi" is a boy's name and all," she giggled at her bad joke.

BEIGOMA KIYOSHI: ULTIMATE QUOTE KEEPER

Like I said before, Beigoma had canary-yellow hair that was tied into a ponytail and covered by a white sunhat, and she also had jade green eyes and a porcelain complexion. She wore a long white sundress with colorful petal designs on it and a pair of white rubber shoes with white shocks. And there was also a pink flower on top of her sunhat. Her appearance gave off the impression that she was one of those maidens waiting in the summer like you sometimes hear about in romance novels.

"My talent? Well, it's not a very good one," she said in an unsure tone. "Maybe we should move on to someone else."

"Oh another useless talent, I hear?" Nagito chimed in. "Welcome to the club, Akira-kun and I are happy to make your acquaintance."

"Hey, don't just put her down like that!" Micho exclaimed. "I bet her talent is actually really cool," she said with a smile.

"Cool?" Beigoma repeated the word as if it was foreign to her and then she blushed slightly.

"Yeah come on, dude. Your talent might not be as sick as mine but I bet it's pretty legit," the auburn-haired boy added, making Beigoma's blush deepen.

"The sooner we get through you, the sooner we can get to my introduction so by all means do proceed," Izuru added. Beigoma tried to hide her face under her sunhat.

"Yeah, everyone here has a great talent, so I'm sure yours is great too," I added.

Beigoma started to fidget and then finally she uncovered her face and exclaimed victoriously, "Okay I'll do it!" while she pumped her fist in the air. "I am known as the Ultimate Quote Keeper, and the reason I'm called that is because I can remember every single quote that I've ever seen, read, or written." Then she giggled nervously, "But most of the times, I forget the name of the person who made the quote, so I call that person "Anonymous". It happens a lot actually. Pretty much a useless talent, huh?"

"Are you kidding that's a great talent, you have a really good memory. Do you know how many people wish they had that kind of ability?" I tried to persuade her that her talent was amazing because just like all the others' talents I truly did think that it was. And then she did something that surprised me and everyone else. Out of the blue, she ran up to me and pulled me into a hug. My eyes widened and my body went stiff, and meanwhile Beigoma just kept giggling and squeezing me. And then out of the corner of my eye I saw something that at first I thought was just a trick of the light. Nodaka was staring at me with a frown on her face, a sad frown. And when she saw that I saw her, she looked away and pretended like nothing happened.

After a few more moments of hugging me, Beigoma backed away and blushed even deeper. "I'm sorry I hugged you so suddenly, it's just that I've always wanted one you see. And you and everyone else seem so nice. So I was wondering Maita-san…," she started fidgeting nervously.

"Oh God, not another damn sudden confession. Give it a break people," Yasuke interrupted.

"W-Would you be my big brother?" Beigoma blurted out.

No one, not even I said a word after that. And then as if all at once, a chorus of snickers and hushed giggles could be heard throughout the entrance hall. Most of them were trying to be respectful and be quiet as best as they could be, but some people who didn't care about how they would seem, namely Yasuke, Nagito, Izuru, and Nodaka, were giggling the loudest of all. I however, was too shocked to even comprehend what had just happened. Desperately, I tried to recall everything that led up to this event. Beigoma introducing herself to us, her being discouraged because she thought her talent wasn't good enough to be discussed, me and the others encouraging her to share, and then she hugged me…and asked me if I would be her big brother. Yep, that's…that's everything that happened.

"Is…is that not okay?" I heard Beigoma squeak out. Tears started to form in her eyes, and then she started to rub her eyes to stop the tear flow. "I-I'm sorry if I made you look bad, i-it's ju-just y-you see-seemed so ni-nice and I-I've never ha-had a sib-sibling before. S-So, yo-you…no, ne-never mind it w-was a stu-stupid idea. I-I'm so sorry." Then she ran away and retreated to the back of the entrance hall, making an effort to hide from my sight behind the bobbed hair girl, who actually besides me was the only one who didn't think the event that just happened was funny. She didn't so much as crack a smile. But I did manage to catch a glance she gave me, she cocked her head in Beigoma's direction and it seemed like she was almost saying "make it up to her" with her eyes. I nodded in confirmation that I would…although I wasn't sure how exactly. Beigoma wanted me to be her big brother? That was like a situation you would see in crack manga or anime, not in real life, but then again so far this day had been nothing but surreal.

Micho did her best to calm down and stop giggling and when she was finally quiet again she said, "Alright, Kiyoshi-chan gave her introduction. Now who do we have left?"

"I think just me and four others," the athletic-looking boy replied. "So I'll go next, my name is Shiro Shirobane, but feel free to call me Yocchan as everyone I know does."

SHIRO SHIROBANE: ULTIMATE SET DESIGNER

Like I said before, Shiro was tall, lean, and had an athletic build. His features were symmetrical, or what some people might call "handsome". His hair was a dark brown and had a floppy fringe that stopped just below his eyebrows, and his eyes were a vivid bright green. He looked like a typical jock or sporty boy, which is why I was really surprised when he told us his talent. He wore a short sleeved black t-shirt, which had a Sator Square decal printed on it in white, and it was worn over a light blue long-sleeved t-shirt. He also wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of red sneakers, and there was also a small brown belt-pouch strapped around his waist.

"I'm the Ultimate Set Designer, you know people who make backdrops and special effects for moves, plays, or musicals?" Shiro explained with a smile. "I'm pretty good at it too, I'm one of the heads of the school's drama club and in charge of everything that goes on behind the curtain when we have a production."

"So your talent is entertainment grade?" Yasuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well no not technically, to tell you the truth I don't have a lick of talent for the stage. I'm just good at designing sets, not preforming," he said as he scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously.

"Oh so you're an artist grade?" Micho replied.

"Again, no not technically. My talent is more of a behind closed doors talent, or I guess in my case behind the curtain. Nobody sees me whenever we have a performance, they just see my work and I let that speak for me."

"Oh were you by any chance the mastermind behind making the backdrops for our school's production of _Romeo and Juliet_? I thought the backdrop for the balcony scene was especially magnificent," Nagito praised Shiro.

Shiro seemed embarrassed by Nagito's comment. "Y-You did? That wasn't really my best work though, I kept getting a lot of heat from my other co-set designers saying that I was drawing to much attention to the scenery and pulling attention away from the actors."

"Nonsense, your work was truly sublime, I actually felt like I was back in Verona, Italy circa 1500. Have you ever thought about hitting the big time, joining a Kabuki Theater or maybe even taking a page from our dear friend Keiko-chan and heading to the US to design sets on Broadway?" Nagito asked.

Shiro smiled and replied, "I don't think I'm quite that good yet for professional theatre, besides I'm still underage."

"Waste not want not, dear friend talent like yours can't be taken for granted or squandered foolishly. If and when we get out of here I'd truly like to see another one of your club's performances," Nagito replied.

"Thanks that'd be great, but don't say "if", okay? We'll definitely get out of here, this is just a test remember?" Shiro asked.

I could hear Keiko and Micho whispering something in the background. "Hey do you think Mr. Nagito Komaeda and Mr. Shiro Shirobane might be…you know…?" Keiko asked.

"Who knows?" Micho replied, unsure herself.

I for one had no idea what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was definitely with Shiro, we were getting out of here no matter what because this was definitely not a test I wanted to be a part of.

"Alright, I guess I'll go next," the silver-blonde girl spoke up. "Hi, my name is Sawa Nanase and I'm known as the Ultimate Triathlete."

SAWA NANASE: ULTIMATE TRIATHLETE

Like I said before, Sawa had long and straight silvery-blonde hair with a dark blue ribbon tied into it, and she also had a pair of almond shaped and almond colored eyes. She was small, slim, pale, and had very delicate-looking features, and it wasn't very obvious but her ears seemed to be a little pointy. Her whole appearance reminded me of a fairy or an angel, by looking at her you wouldn't guess that she had a sporty talent like being the Ultimate Triathlete. She wore a dark-blue dress made from a silky, thin, and wispy material. It was short-sleeved and the skirt of the dress was billowy and of knee length. She also had a series of silver bracelets around both of her wrists, and a necklace with a dolphin pendant around her neck. And out of the corner of my eye I noticed that she was carrying a pair of brown flat-heeled strappy sandals in her right hand, and she was walking barefoot. Not the weirdest thig ever but kind of unhygienic.

And it appeared someone else took notice of Sawa's bare feet as well. "Ah! What do you think you're doing going barefoot in here?!" Jonathan exclaimed. Sawa seemed to ignore Jonathan's cries but that didn't stop Jonathan from complaining. "Do you have any idea how disgusting it is to go barefoot?! Right now billions of germs are plaguing the area, who knows how long it's been since this floor's been cleaned! And haven't you ever heard of tetanus, you idiot?!"

Saw shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I like going barefoot, it makes me feel free."

"Yes you're free alright, free to catch some horrid disease and infect each and every one of us with your germs!" Then he pulled out something from his jeans' pocket. It was one of those surgeons' masks that they hand out to little kids when there's a flu or cold epidemic in their school. Jonathan quickly forced the strap of the mask behind his head and covered his mouth and nose. "But I swear that I'll survive contamination no matter what," he said from underneath the surgical mask.

"Great, so on top of being a full of himself weirdo you're also a neat freak?" Yasuke asked.

"Germs are the enemy of man!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Sawa sighed and then dropped her sandals to the floor. "Fine if it gets you to shut up, I'll put them back on." When Sawa's feet were tucked into her sandals again she stretched her toes and then she frowned. "Now I feel weird, as soon as this is over I'm taking them off again."

"Not anywhere around me, you're not! Your feet could already be infected!" Jonathan exclaimed. "As a matter of fact your whole body is probably ground zero right now!"

"If you seriously don't shut up I might just have to come over there and kiss you," Sawa replied with a smile.

"Ah, don't you dare!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Enough germaphobic BS," Yasuke said and then he pointed to the auburn-haired boy, "You, go ahead and introduce yourself, we're almost finished."

The auburn-haired boy pumped his fist in excitement. "Hells yeah, now I get to show off my skills! Killer dude!"

"Just get to it," Yasuke replied.

"Alright, alright, chill out dude. Yo what up guys?! Name's Nate Baron and I'm siked to meetcha!"

NATE BARON: ULTIMATE ASSASSIN

Like I said before, Nate had auburn hair that went down to his shoulders and was tied back with a white bandana. He had royal blue eyes, and there was a single strip of eye black underneath his right eye. He also had a full facial stubble beard and he was fit and built like a track star. He wore a plain white t-shirt, an unzipped blue hoodie with a white pentagram emblem over the right breast area, a pair of white sweatbands on his forearms, a pair of black cargo shorts, and a pair of blue and white canvas shoes. I thought from his appearance that his talent would be something sporty like Sawa's…I was half right, but the other half shocked me to my very core.

"Are you ready? 'Cause it's going to blow your fucking minds! Introducing Nate Baron the Ultimate Assassin!"

It took a few moments after that for anyone else to respond. The response that Nate was looking for was not met…at all.

"Assassin? As in gun for hire, hitman, a murderer for money? That kind of assassin?" Micho asked in surprise.

"Se-Seriously?" Yasuke asked.

"Killing people's your talent?!" I exclaimed

Nate blinked a few times in surprise at the question and then he started scratching the back of his head nervously. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. Nobody really pays me for what I do, and truth be told I've never really killed anyone, the Ultimate Assassin's kind of an umbrella term. I've just been trained to be an assassin, so I know like combat techniques and how to use weapons and stuff but I've never killed anyone dude, I swear." Then he looked down at the floor and sighed. "I don't think I could do it even if I wanted too…that's what "she" told me anyways."

The room fell silent again, until Sawa spoke up. "So if you haven't killed anyone, then what's the point of having the experience as your talent?" she asked.

"Um well, it was kind of forced on me. I didn't want to do it at first, but after a while I sort of learned to live with it. It's not all bad though, all the training is a great way to stay in shape and even though I'm not that good with book smarts I know more about the real world than anyone I know. So I guess the reason I continue doing it is to become stronger…just in case, some day I'm forced to fight for real."

"You're lucky." She finally said something. We all turned in surprise at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and our attention turned to the girl with the bobbed black hair, who Beigoma was still currently hiding behind.

"Oh, Shimi-chan speaks at least hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

The bobbed hair girl smirked in reply. "Shimi? Freckles, eh? How appropriate." She slowly walked to the front of the room and then she turned to face all of us and introduce herself, just as all of us had done so far. Meanwhile, Beigoma stayed in the back of the entrance hall, avoiding everyone else's eyes, especially mine.

The bobbed hair girl then introduced herself. "My name is Mukuro Ikusaba and I am known as the Ultimate Soldier. My skills are in combat and weaponry much like Baron over there. But even though we're so alike one thing still separates us. A big thing. Innocence. Innocence of the world, the sick and perverted world." All at once we could feel it, the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. Her words, each one struck a violent chord in us. "On edge" wasn't even a term in this situation. It was more like her words pushed us clear over the cliff.

MUKURO IKUSABA: ULTIMATE SOLDIER

Like I said before, Mukuro had short bobbed black hair and pale gray eyes. She had very pale skin, which made the series of freckles around her face and across the bridge of her nose that much more noticeable. And then I saw that just as Jonathan had said, she had a mysterious dog tattoo on her right hand. She wore the typical girl's uniform of Hope's Peak Academy; a brown buttoned up dress jacket over a white dress shirt, which had a green ribbon tied around the collar, a brown skirt, a pair of knee-high white socks, and a pair of black dress shoes. She had an emotionless expression across her face, I couldn't tell if she was scared, sad, angry, or happy. Reading her was impossible. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't peer past that iron mask that she put up to hide her emotions. Right then I knew that something was very wrong with her. Something was really, really wrong with this girl. As I stared into her eyes I saw nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all.

"I'm a killer. Ultimate Soldier is nothing more than a name given to me by this school. If you ask me my true title is Ultimate Killing Machine. I've killed so many people, I've almost lost track. I'm nothing but a killer, a killer whose soul is about as pure as dirt." My eyes widened and my heart stopped. My mind raced a million miles a minute, trying to determine if what Mukuro had just told us was true, or if she was just trying to be funny. I prayed for it to be the latter, but so far today nothing had gone my way and things weren't going to start now.

And then at that moment, we heard something turn on and we all turned to the monitor in the back corner of the entrance hall. It had suddenly powered itself on. "Um, please tell me one of you guys did that?" Nate asked, sounding scared out of his mind. Everyone else remained silent. Except Mukuro, she barely whispered something. But I couldn't make out what. We all crowded around the monitor as the channel it was on showed nothing but static and snow, and then we saw a shadow. It took a few moments for the shadow to come into full view but afterwards the shadow took on the form of an odd silhouette.

And then we heard a voice. _"Mic check…mic check. Testing…1…2…3."_ The voice sounded light-hearted and whimsical but I could feel a deep pit of malice behind it. It set me more off center than Mukuro did. _"Ahem…attention students, this is your headmaster speaking. It appears that you've all met up and started introductions. Unfortunately I couldn't be there for it, sorry for being late. I was just getting the finishing touches done on the big project I have in store for you guys. But anyways, now it's time for me to introduce myself to you guys. It should be despairingly fun! So get your asses to the gymnasium on the double! And no dallying, we've already wasted enough time! Get a move on now or else!"_ Then the monitor shut itself off, leaving us all in a state of confusion.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter we meet the headmaster and the murder mystery of Hajime Hinata begins! Till next time, that's all folks!


	6. Prologue, Part 4

A/N: Hope you guys had a great Halloween and are looking forward to Thanksgiving. And it seems like all the students went over really well, again I'd like to thank those of you who submitted OCs, along with my OC characters and the good old-fashioned revived characters, everyone loves them. You guys are really creative and I hope that I do your characters proud as we keep moving forward. But keep in mind that no matter which character gets picked off first it has nothing to do with not being liked more than the others, it's just the way of the mystery. And I've got a doozy prepared for case #1 so you best be prepared. But before that we have one mystery to solve first, who murdered Hajime Hinata? And don't worry the game hasn't officially started yet so none of the students will be suspects. No, I have something else in mind, you didn't think Hajime would be the only guest star did you?

Oh and another note, I've been receiving complaints about typos in previous chapters and I'd just like to say that I'm sorry, there's no excuse for typos, it's lazy writing and from here on out I'll be super careful and not make such dumb mistakes. I'll correct the typos in the previous chapters when we reach the end of the prologue. And now it's time to meet the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy and let the fun begin!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 4: His name is Monokuma!**

* * *

DAYTIME, 8:45 AM

 _*Ding dong, bing bong*_

And then at that moment, we heard something turn on and we all turned to the monitor in the back corner of the entrance hall. It had suddenly powered itself on. "Um, please tell me one of you guys did that?" Nate asked, sounding scared out of his mind. Everyone else remained silent. Except Mukuro, she barely whispered something. But I couldn't make out what. We all crowded around the monitor as the channel it was on showed nothing but static and snow, and then we saw a shadow. It took a few moments for the shadow to come into full view but afterwards the shadow took on the form of an odd silhouette.

And then we heard a voice. _"Mic check…mic check. Testing…1…2…3."_ The voice sounded light-hearted and whimsical but I could feel a deep pit of malice behind it. It set me more off center than Mukuro did. _"Ahem…attention students, this is your headmaster speaking. It appears that you've all met up and started introductions. Unfortunately I couldn't be there for it, sorry for being late. I was just getting the finishing touches done on the big project I have in store for you guys. But anyways, now it's time for me to introduce myself to you guys. It should be despairingly fun! So get your asses to the gymnasium on the double! And no dallying, we've already wasted enough time! Get a move on now or else!"_ Then the monitor shut itself off, leaving us all in a state of confusion.

"So this is just part of the test?" Micho asked.

" _Hahaha_ ," Nodaka giggled, "I told you dumb insects so. You all were being paranoid for nothing."

"He-Headmaster?" Jose stuttered out. "B-But that di-didn't sound lik-like Hea-Headmaster Ki-Kirigiri at all."

"Don't be ridiculous, you scrawny toad," Nodaka replied. "You heard the announcement, you're just going to make all the other dimwits here feel more on edge. There's nothing to worry about, you hear me? Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing…at…all." But I think the way Nodaka said that was the thing that put me on edge. She tried to hide behind her strong words and personality but I could tell just by looking at her closely enough, she was just as confused and worried as the rest of us.

"Well whoever it was said to go to the gym, right?" Soshun asked, still trying to be somewhat nonchalant but with an added sense of fear in his voice now.

"Don't be an idiot So…of course that's what he said. Come to the gym now or…else." Jonathan's little paper mask may have shielded him from his hypochondria but it did not shield him from the overwhelming sense of fear and despair that was filling the room. I could see that he was trembling slightly and sweating even more bullets than when he was scared Sawa was going to kiss him.

Speaking of Sawa, her feet feeling uncomfortable inside her sandals seemed to be the least of her worries right now. She started nervously fidgeting. "Should we…really go?" she asked, not worrying about hiding the fear in her voice.

Nate tried to smile and remain calm but you could easily tell that he was afraid from the numerous bullets he was sweating. "It's all good dudes, nothing to worry about. Forget all the cameras, and the end of the world motif, and just keep in mind it's all the school's doing. They wouldn't seriously put us in harm's way, right? Please someone agree with me."

"I've got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, should we listen and go?" Shiro asked, unsure of what to do next.

"Ugh, Azami-tan's conflicted hebi. Bad feelings hebi!" Azami exclaimed as her pupils constricted and she grabbed onto her cat ears and pulled hard at them.

Even cheerful Aya seemed to be scared. "No need to worry, things will be alright. Just got to stay calm and collective, like a shark hunting's it prey. Or in this case are we the prey and are the unknowns the sharks? Or are neither of us the sharks and there's an even bigger predator at work here? In that case what do they eat?! I'm at a total loss! Big fish eat little fish and I'm the smallest fish of all!"

"Goddammit shut up!" Yasuke shouted. He was biting down on the tip of his right thumb and appeared to be thinking hard about what to do. "Think, think, think dammit, think. What the hell is going on?" he asked himself.

Nagito appeared to be sweating profusely and started rubbing his body up and down. "Resist it, resist it, resist it," he kept muttering to himself.

Chihiro was starting to break out in tears again. "I-I'm get-getting scared."

"Aww, Chihiro-chan's cute even when she's crying." We all turned around and saw that Cam had woken up again. He was rubbing his head, probably to avoid getting a bump from Yasuke's bonk on his head. And with the sudden appearance of Cam, Chihiro began to calm down a little and then she stared at him with puffy red eyes. Cam realized that we heard his obnoxious comment and tried to recover. "Oh no, please don't get me wrong! I'd never want to see an angel like you cry, ever! It's just you're too cute for words!" Then he started rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment and a faint red blush started to spread across his cheeks. "Oh, it's useless. Every time I talk to you I end up with my foot in my mouth."

"Ah, la awkwardness, she continues, no?" Connie shrugged with ambiguity.

"Seriously lover boy, would ya can it already?!" Nodaka shouted. "We're dealing with something important here!"

"Eh?" Cam seemed confused. "Did I miss something?"

"We just got another message in the form of a video announcement," Micho explained. "There was too much static to make out the person in the video but they claimed to be the Hope's Peak Academy headmaster. They told us to go to the gymnasium and we're busy deciding if we should listen to them or not."

"Well we can't just ignore it, can we?" Izuru asked snidely. "If we stand here trying to figure things out we'll just end up wasting more time than when we could just go and get the answers we seek straight from the source. And I for one would like to see where this test is headed, and I propose that all those who think we should know what we're getting into follow my lead. By the way, I'll hurry and introduce myself since we're out of time. Izuru Kamukura, Ultimate Hope. As Maita-kun can attest I have many talents instead of just being limited to one. I'm a genius above geniuses, but I'm not all that snide about it. I'll hear people out if they can entertain me, but if they're entertainment value is little to none, then those people I consider as boring. But don't worry classmates, so far you're all interesting, we'll just see which of you has the most standing time. Until then, I propose we go and not keep the "headmaster" waiting another second." Without another word Izuru walked past all of us until he was standing next to me. He stopped and whispered softly, "Do me a favor and help out the others, would you? I don't want them to drag me down." And then without another word he exited the entrance hall.

"S-Should we go after him?" Shiro asked.

"One thing's for sure and that's the fact that Mr. Izuru Kamukura thinks he can handle things himself. I doubt he needs our help," Keiko replied.

"He's an idiot, just walking into some unknown situation," Jonathan surmised.

"But…he seemed kind of calm, didn't he? Like too calm considering the situation, don't you think?" Soshun asked.

"Are you saying Kamukura-san might be somehow involved in all of this?" Sawa replied.

Nate's eyes widened. "Seriously? He is a creepy guy, but do you think he's like kidnapping creepy?"

Nagito flashed one of his big smiles and said, "I think he seems kind of fun, and besides his title is Ultimate Hope. How can such a wonderful thing like hope possibly be evil in anyway?"

"Says you Monsieur White Rabbit, you're just as creepy, no?" Connie replied in a harsh tone.

"But still, I think it's best if we all stick together. I don't want to see anyone get hurt," said Micho.

"Strength lies in numbers – Anonymous," Beigoma said with conviction. And then that conviction faded and was replaced with a sweatdrop expression, as well as a giggle. "See I told you I have trouble remembering the names sometimes."

"Y-Yeah," Jose agreed, "And ev-even if Ka-Kamukura-san does have something to do wi-with this I st-still want to kn-know what's go-going on too." Jose looked down at the floor and tapped his foot slightly, and then he slowly shifted his gaze to the main hallway entrance. He appeared to be contemplating what he should do. "I-I'm going o-on ahead with Kam-Kamukura-san." His mind made up he collected his journal and then exited the entrance hall as well.

"There goes another one, should the rest of us go check it out too dudes?" Nate asked, unsure of what to do.

"So conflicted hebi! So worried hebi!" Azami exclaimed. "First Kokushibyou-kun and then Kigen-kun, Azami-tan doesn't know if she should go either hebi." Then she took a quick glance back at the vaulted door and then looked back at Chihiro. "Chibi Eve, you said that we couldn't get out without a password, right hebi?"

"Y-Yeah that's right. If we tr-tried jus-just randomly gu-guessing the pa-password som-something bad mi-might happen," Chihiro replied.

Azami bit her thumb in worry and started to fidget, looking at all of us and then towards the main hallway entrance. "If it's the only way then Azami-tan will go too hebi! Wish her luck hebi!" she exclaimed and then she ran out of the entrance hall and headed towards the gymnasium.

"Wait!" I called after her but she was already out of earshot. 'What should we do?' I asked myself. I looked back at the vaulted door. 'If we go there, I can feel it, there's no turning back from that point. No, there was no turning back the moment we set foot into the academy, the moment I saw…Hajime. There's no other way out though. I'm already wrapped up in this whether I like it or not, but what would happen if I just choose to ignore it? If we choose to ignore it?' I asked myself. I could see that the others were on the fence too.

"Ah, to hell with this! I still have a promise I need to keep, and according to the academy participating in this test will help me achieve that! I'm not going to wuss out now!" Yasuke shouted. "Wait for me, you ugly cat!" he shouted as he followed Izuru, Jose, and Azami.

Little by little it was becoming less crowded in the entrance hall. "Mr. Yasuke Matsuda's right, I still have a promise I need to keep as well! I swear on my honor as a croupier that I will not be deterred!" Keiko exclaimed, while the fire in her eyes glowed brightly.

"Qui, Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts. Follow your lead I shall. La glory of le Takemi Time Keepers awaits!" Connie exclaimed and followed Keiko out of the entrance hall. Both of the girls were passionate about their talents, so passionate that they charged head first into possible unknown danger. I wish I could be as brave as they were, but I was just an average guy with no drive at all. I knew something bad would happen if I went to the gymnasium. After all the bad things that had already happened how couldn't I be paranoid? But after a minute or two the others started to work up the nerve to leave as well.

"This is just a test. This is just a test. This is just a test. This is just a test," Shiro repeated to himself over and over again as he left the entrance hall as well.

"Ugh, dammit if every one of you idiots is leaving I guess I'll have to go as well," Jonathan complained before leaving the entrance hall.

"Yeah there's nothing to worry about guys, if we get into trouble I'll save us with my sweet assassin skills!" Nate exclaimed before leaving as well. "Hopefully," he whispered to himself.

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown – H. P. Lovecraft. It's time to face those fears. I can do it," Beigoma looked at me, "And I know you can too." Then she left as well.

"If I was a sea sponge my first instinct would be to remain sedentary and simply filter feed," Aya said and then she began to take in big gasps of air. And then she let out an unfulfilled sigh, "Nope, unfortunately I'm human. I need real food and I can't stay still forever. No choice but to go and see what all the hullabaloo is about." Then she placed her hands on her hips and exclaimed, "I'm as fierce as a great white shark, as clever as a dolphin, as adaptable as a starfish, and as funny as a clownfish! I am Aya Kisaragi the Ultimate Marine Biologist, hear me roar!" Then the hyperactive girl left as well.

"Despite having a bad feeling in my gut, I guess I'll just go with majority vote. I can't make decisions on my own, I'm a follower, remember?" Soshun spoke up and then he left.

"Geez, I don't have a choice in the matter do I?" Nodaka asked. "Ugh, my mistress would be so displeased if she knew I was following after the common folk." Then she left as well.

"I…I'm still scared. Wh-What if so-something rea-really bad hap-happens?" Chihiro asked with a frightened look on her face.

"If it comes down to that…then I'll protect you," Cam replied.

Chihiro's eyes widened a little. "R-Really?"

"Yeah, I already told you, remember? I truly love you, I have for a very long time. I've already made up my mind that you're the girl I want to marry, no one else will do in my book. So from this day forward I vow to be your knight in shining armor until the day I parish. Please treat me kindly, Princess Chihiro," Cam said with a toothy smirk. It had to have been the cheesiest thing I have ever heard one human being say to another human being, even things in old moves couldn't compare. But it must have really meant a lot to Chihiro, because her tears stopped and a smile spread across her face.

"O-Okay. I guess i-if you prom-promise to he-help me then I could give it a sh-shot. I…I pro-promise not to be a bu-burden." Then Chihiro's eyes widened even more when Cam stuck out his hand in front of her.

"Then shall we, princess?" Cam asked, smiling cheaply.

Chihiro hesitated but eventually she reached out her hand and took Cam's hand, and then Cam surprised her even more by lacing his fingers with hers. And then the two techies walked hand in hand out of the entrance hall. And I could have been wrong but I thought I heard Chihiro giggle a little bit.

"I guess I'm with the lovebirds too, I have a promise I need to keep as well," Sawa said with determination as she followed Cam and Chihiro out of the entrance hall. And then she stopped for a second and took off her sandals. And then she increased her speed and ran through the halls barefoot.

"I wonder if the true hope I seek can really be found by taking this test," Nagito said to himself. Then he smiled and added, "Oh what am I saying, the best hope comes out of the darkest and most otherworldly situations. The whole road of this adventure is sure to be paved with hope, maybe this is where I can plant my legacy before it's too late. Fingers crossed," he said as he chuckled and walked out of the entrance hall.

Micho sighed and said, "This is it, all or nothing. I suggest we go see just what's happening." Then she followed after Nagito.

And just like that the only two people left in the entrance hall were Mukuro and I. She stared at me and I stared back at her, and it was a few minutes before either of us said a word. And believe it or not it was Mukuro who spoke first. "What did the academy promise you?"

It was so sudden and out of the blue I barely even had time to consider what she was asking. "Eh?" I replied in response to her question.

Her expression didn't change. "They had to have promised you something for you to even consider participating in this event? Correct? I'm just curious about what it is."

I stayed quiet for a few moments and thought carefully about her question. I just somehow had this odd feeling that depending on how I answered her the flow of events that we were about to face would become either a little more hopeful or even darker and grimmer. "They promised me a chance to find out who I really want to be. A chance for me to find out just what makes me so special and sets me apart from others."

Mukuro averted her gaze from me and then she seemed to stare off into space. I thought that meant that our conversation was over so I was about to run off and join the others. Mukuro seemed…decent, I guess. But what she said before we received the video announcement still resided in the back of my brain. She admitted flat out that she was a killer, a cold-blooded murderer even. The blood that she spilt had stained her hands red and she was ashamed of that whole-heartedly. She was downtrodden and miserable, I could tell that just by looking at her. I couldn't sense the tiniest bit of light in her, her whole appearance and demeanor was plagued with darkness as thick as could be. She was lost, pitifully lost in an ocean of despair. And I couldn't say it to her face of course but she frightened me. When I was around her an icy chill would run up my spine. It would be that way for a long time, until I truly knew the girl named Mukuro Ikusaba.

But until then we were on completely different worlds. I was on a world that seemed hopeful and optimistic, a world where things made sense. Mukuro however was from some sort of bizzaro world where everything was topsy turvy, a world of darkness where not even a single pinprick of light would shine down. I dreamed of a world where things could be abnormal and different but so far this world and Mukuro's isolated world seemed like the things nightmares were made out of. Death, blood, pain, agony. Those weren't things I wanted to be a part of at all. Which is why from that point on I vowed to myself that no matter what I would not venture any deeper into this darkness. I would stay away from Mukuro at all costs, and do whatever it took to get out of this horrible nightmare that I had found myself in. If it took playing along with this horrible game of _Clue_ to do so then so be it. I would solve Hajime's murder and then leave this horrible school and never look back. I would find out who I was on my own, not with the help of Hope's Peak Academy who had proven to be horrible and manipulative through these malicious tricks. I would spread the truth about this place no matter what the cost, and make sure those bastards never did anything like this again.

I turned to leave and head for the gymnasium when Mukuro called out to me and said something that stopped me dead in my tracks. "We're never going to get out of here you know? This is the end of our old way of living. It's just like you wanted, you will become someone different, just not the kind of person you want to be." My eyes widened and I started shaking and trembling. Mukuro walked right past me and then exited the entrance hall. I was the last one left. I cringed and I was sure for a moment that I was about to break down and start crying. Call it false hope or whatever you wish, but deep down I wouldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it.

There was a light at the end of this dark tunnel, I just had to be willing to see it. I wouldn't give in, not now, not when there was still a chance. I balled my hands into fists and then took a few deep breaths. Then I charged forward and ran out of the entrance hall, and then I raced down the main hallway and headed in the direction of the gymnasium. I pushed open a set of double doors and entered the gymnasium's foyer. Inside the foyer there was a series of shelves lined with multiple trophies and awards. And on one shelf there was a set of class pictures that showed all of Hope's Peak Academy's classes, from the very first year that the school was founded to this very year, 2015. On the outside it appeared to be a normal, peace-loving school but something wasn't right. There was darkness hiding inside this academy and it was that darkness that summoned me and the others here now. Everything else seemed almost like a lie.

At the end of the foyer there was another set of double doors that led to the gymnasium, and decorated all around the doors were signs and messages that seemed to be telling us this was the place that we had to go. I didn't see anyone else in the foyer so I assumed that everyone else was already inside the gymnasium. I walked up to the double doors and before I could push them open I stopped and hesitated. 'This is it, no turning back from this point on. If I go inside I'll have to face what's coming before I can get out. I want to leave, I want to just go home and forget all about this place. The exit is beyond here, I just have to find Hajime's killer. Do that and the game is over. Whatever's behind this door, whatever horrible, grisly sight that perpetrators behind this sick game of _Clue_ have me look on next, I'll just have to deal with it no matter what. It's the only way. Alright, here it goes.' I took one more deep breath before pushing open the doors and walking inside the gymnasium. And waiting for me behind those doors was an unbelievable sight.

* * *

DAYTIME, 9:00 AM

Behind the gymnasium's double doors lied…an entrance ceremony. There were twenty chairs lined in four rows of five turned to face the front of a stage in the back of the gymnasium that had a podium used for when the headmaster or faculty had an announcement to make. The gymnasium was decorated with a red carpet that was set between the aisle that the chair rows made and a series of streamers and banners that lined the ceiling. It looked like a normal entrance ceremony for the beginning of a school year, and it was something I was definitely not expecting considering how the day had gone so far. I could see that the others were already sitting down in nineteen of the chairs, leaving one remaining on the very end for yours truly.

Upon entering the gymnasium the others all turned back in their seats to face me. "The last to arrive yet again, Maita-kun? Do you not understand the meaning of the word tardiness?" Izuru asked.

Nagito waved at me. "Akira-kun, I saved you a seat next to me," Nagito said as he motioned for me to come and sit down at the remaining empty chair in the back right-hand row. I sighed and then walked over to Nagito and the others and took my seat.

Nodaka, who was sitting directly in front of me, snickered and said, "You sure do like to keep people waiting cockroach boy. Good luck ever getting a girlfriend like that."

Soshun, who was sitting on the other side of Nagito, looked at me with concern. "Are you okay? You look like you just got hit by a bulldozer."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a little bit of a hard time working up the courage to get here," I replied. I didn't want to remind myself of what Mukuro said, it would just make me lose my hope that there was a chance of leaving. My eyes drifted over to Mukuro who was sitting on the aisle seat of the front left-hand row next to Beigoma, who still appeared to be clinging to her. Mukuro didn't turn to face me but I caught her looking at me out of the corner of her eye. 'What does she want from me anyway?' I wondered. She waited until no one was left in the entrance hall to bombard me with overwhelming despair? What was the point? Why did she want me in particular to feel hopeless?

"Ahem! May I have your attention, please?!" Then we all quieted down. It was that same voice from before, that whimsical yet maniacal voice. "Each and every year here at Hope's Peak Academy we receive many talented students and our job as educators is to mold them into vessels fit for society. To become the frontrunners of the future itself if you will. You students are here for one reason and one reason only. You have been chosen above all others because we believe that you are capable of achieving really great things, but for one reason or another you all seem to be lacking in a specific area. So we made this "extracurricular course" to help better you and sharpen your wits, so I would like to personally welcome you to the first day of your brand new lives. Who am I you ask? Why I'm your headmaster…" And then it began.

Suddenly a teddy bear hopped up onto the podium and spoke, "Monokuma!" It spoke! And then it stood up on its feet/paws and then began to give a speech while walking back and forth on top of the podium. "Yes, it is me, the great Monokuma! You may have recognized me from TV. I'm a fantastic actor, cook, and I even have my own clothing line. In a word, I'm a superstar. Lucky you, you guys get to have the great Monokuma as your stand-in headmaster." Then its voice changed all of a sudden into a "cute and cuddly" voice, "So wet's all do our bestest and get awong beawry nice m'kay?" Then he laughed maniacally and changed back to his original voice. "I'm trying out a new persona, I call it cuddwy adowable Monokuma, you like? No? Well then screw you!" His personality was literally all over the place. Keeping up with the bear was utterly exhausting.

We were all shocked, that a teddy bear could talk, much less rant and change personalities. A walking, talking teddy bear who was half white and half black in color, who had a nice-looking face on his white side and an evil-looking face on his black side which was complete with a malevolent scar-shaped red eye. It was an otherworldly and comedic sight that would make you do a double take, but after the morning I've had this was right in the realm of normality. A talking, walking teddy bear who was apparently named Monokuma. Monochromatic bear? It sounded like a name a kindergartner would come up with. And as a matter of fact Monokuma looked like a rejected character for a kid's cartoon. Weird didn't even begin to describe this. It was a living stuffed animal, for Christ's sake!

"What the hell, what is that thing?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"It looks like a teddy bear…b-but it's ta-talking and mo-moving!" Micho exclaimed.

"That's a super advanced, and creepy-looking puppet," Shiro said with disbelief.

"Hey that's rude, where do you get off calling you headmaster a teddy bear and a puppet?!" Monokuma replied with an angry expression.

"It…it responded! What's going on, is it possessed?!" Beigoma exclaimed in fear.

"Don't be idiots, it's obviously some kind of weird robot," Jonathan said trying to be rational in this irrational situation.

"That's some helluva an advanced robot!" Nate exclaimed, not acting rational at all.

"What an interesting automaton, I wonder what exactly makes it tick. It can't just be bolts and gears. Sophisticated programming is a necessity, but that wouldn't explain le liveliness of this so-called Monsieur Monokuma. Maybe I can take a quick peek at his insides, no?" Connie asked as she gained a creepy look on her face.

Monokuma responded with a freaked out expression. "Whoa, settle down their girlie. No one's allowed to touch my sensitive parts. And another thing…" Then his angry expression returned and he shouted, "I'm not a robot, I'm Monokuma!"

"If you're not a robot, or a puppet, or a teddy bear then what exactly are you?" Nagito asked with general curiosity.

"I am Monokuma! Geez, how many times do I have to spell it out for you bastards! You know how to make a bear really mad!" Monokuma shouted and raised up his arms in fury.

"The teddy bear just admitted it was a bear hebi! Azami-tan closed the case hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"Dammit I am a bear, I said I wasn't a teddy bear, and if you keep calling me one there's gonna be hell to pay, you hear?!"

"This is ridiculous, bears can't be both black and white and they most certainly do not talk!" Aya exclaimed like she was trying to prove a point.

"Oh, how do you know? Are you a zoologist, or at least a damn zoo keeper?" Monokuma asked as he cocked his head to the side.

Aya replied with an, "Um…no, I'm a marine biologist…"

Then Monokuma cut her off and shouted, "Well I don't have gills or a damn dorsal fin so butt out!"

Aya frowned and then sat back down in her chair defeat, "Okay."

"Now then can I please get a word in edge wise here? The sooner we get through this the sooner we can begin and…" Just as he was speaking Yasuke got up from his seat and walked towards the gymnasium's double doors. "Hey! Hey you in the back with the greasy hair, where are you going?!"

Yasuke replied, "I'm not dealing with this, I thought this was going to actually be helpful to my research but it looks like I was wrong. I should've known that instead of giving us straight answers you bastards would want to play mind games. I'm better off working on my own." Then he pulled the handles on the doors and to his surprise the doors didn't budge. "What the…?" Yasuke kept pulling on the doors and braced his leg against the door frame so he could get a better pull, and then when that failed he resulted to banging on the door. But no matter what he tried the doors wouldn't open.

"Oops, did someone lock the door from the outside?" Monokuma asked as he chuckled.

Yasuke glared at Monokuma. "Damn you, open this door right now or I swear to god I'll kick your ass!"

"Please, like I'd be afraid of a guy who's greatest weapon is his fat mouth," Monokuma replied.

"What the hell did you just say?!" Yasuke growled and then ran up to the base of the stage. "You are so asking for it! I know you committee bastards are controlling this damn toy so you better let me out right now before I break it and ruin your precious experiment!"

"Who are you talking to? I'm the only one here, and I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?" Monokuma chuckled again.

"I'm warning you old geezers, open the damn door or suffer the consequences!" Yasuke shouted with a growl.

"Make…me…" Monokuma mocked which made Yasuke only angrier.

"That's it, I warned you!" He jumped up onto the stage and then lunged at Monokuma.

"Oops, too slow," Monokuma said and then he jumped up into the air just as Yasuke reached the podium, which caused him to simply crash into it and knock it over. Monokuma then landed at the edge of the stage and laughed at Yasuke's crash as Yasuke held his head in pain. But upon hearing Monokuma's mocking laughter, Yasuke became enraged again.

"Damn you!" He quickly picked himself back up onto his feet and then raced over to Monokuma's new location, with his right hand balled up into a fist and swung back for momentum.

"That's it, follow the bear," Monokuma said before he jumped over Yasuke as he was charging at him. Monokuma even hopped onto Yasuke's back just to be playful and mock him. Yasuke forced his feet to stop moving in Monokuma's old direction and skid to a stop, which wound up with Yasuke almost falling off the stage and having to use his arms to maintain his balance. When Yasuke was finally good again he was treated to another dose of Monokuma's laughter which enraged him even further.

While the two characters were playing their game of tag, miss, and get pissed the rest of us just sat back and watched in confusion. Nagito on the other hand was laughing his head off. "It's just like _Tom and Jerry_. I wonder if one of them has any props."

Yasuke shouted, "Stay still you little shit so I can wring your fucking neck!" and his feet beat against the stage as he ran up to Monokuma again, who was now on the other side of the stage.

Then suddenly Monokuma pulled a red cape out of nowhere and started chanting, "Toro! Toro!" as if he was a bullfighter.

"See props that appear for no reason whatsoever, at least we know one of them's got a sense of humor," Nagito commented on Yasuke and Monokuma's game of cat and mouse.

Monokuma put the cape out in front of Yasuke, and then when Yasuke was a few millimeters away from grabbing ahold of Monokuma's neck Monokuma shouted, "Ole!" and pulled back the cape swiftly and spun his body as if he was a little top so he could maneuver himself around Yasuke. And then Monokuma reappeared in the center of the stage and picked the podium back up off the floor and got on top of it. "Home free! Home free! Alley alley oxen free!" Yasuke barely caught himself in time but he managed to divert his acceleration and change course back to the podium. He brought back his right fist again so he could deliver Monokuma a knuckle sandwich. "Okay enough games, time for you to learn not to mess with your headmaster." Monokuma's red eye gleamed and then he jumped up into the air again, but this time instead of dodging Yasuke's assault he countered his blow with one of his own. A left uppercut that seemed so strong I thought I saw it catch a gust of wind. Monokuma caught Yasuke with his uppercut and then jabbed Yasuke in the gut with a strong right hook. And then Yasuke flew off the stage and landed right in the red-carpeted aisle. He was gasping for breath because of the blow to his chest and bleeding profusely from his nose from the uppercut. In a state of panic, we all got up out of our chairs and encircled our fallen classmate.

"Are you alright?!" Micho asked in worry.

"Matsuda-san, does it hurt?!" Cam shouted.

"You idiot, what were you thinking?! He was obviously egging you on!" Jonathan hollered.

"He looks real bad," Izuru said.

"Somebody help Surudoi-kun hebi!" Azami cried.

"If only this really was a cartoon, he would have already healed," Nagito said.

I was filled with something. Anger, no pure hatred. A white hot heat seemed to ignite under my skin as my rage grew and grew. I growled and turned around to face Yasuke's attacker. "What the hell is wrong with you and this damn school?! Not only do you beat up a student until they're bloody and gasping for breath but you would even kill one of them?! Did Hinata-kun defy you too?! Is that why you bastards had him killed?! Is that why you brought us here so we could end up just like him?!" I didn't even realize what I said before it was already too late. The gymnasium was dead silent after that. Dead. I didn't want them to know, not until it was absolutely necessary, but as I looked back at the others I could tell they were shocked. Every one of them was about as pale as Nagito at that moment, all except for Izuru, Izuru just smirked his usual smirk.

"Ki-Killed, what do you mean killed? The academy killed…one of its own students?" Micho asked in horror.

"That's…dude, you can't be serious! Please tell me you're not serious?!" Nate exclaimed as he held his head.

"No…no way…no way…no, no, no, this can't be happening," Sawa said as she looked to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

"That isn't funny you damn cockroach boy! You say that Hope's Peak Academy had someone killed?! I won't believe it! I won'! I won't! I won't!" Nodaka denied.

For the first time since I've met him Nagito seemed scared, "That's…" he trailed off as he looked at the ground.

And then we heard him laugh yet again. He was laughing at our misery, at the hopelessness of our situation. "Now I think you guys understand the thing that you're all lacking. Despair, there's not nearly enough despair in you for my tastes. You all have complexes, sure every teenager has one. But so few complexes become full-fledged despair, so that's why you're here. You're here to play a game that will destroy you all mentally, emotionally, and physically. A game that will drag you into the depths of despair. Hajime Hinata was originally supposed to bear the title of Ultimate Wannabe but as you saw he didn't really work out, he didn't want to play either so there were consequences for backing out. Now as for the rest of you, I've given you a demonstration of my power. So I, your beloved headmaster Monokuma, will give you an ultimatum. Hear me out and take the test, or else you will all die just like Hajime Hinata. Once again, the decision is yours to make, and yours alone. So my precious students, what's it gonna be? Despair or death?" he asked as sharp claws shot out of his left paw, which he showed us threateningly as his red eye glowed brightly.

We were all silent. Not one of us dared utter a single word.

Monokuma laughed again. "Good, now if there aren't any more interruptions, let the game begin. Welcome to the Murder Mystery Tour."

* * *

A/N: Next time, the investigation begins. Explore and gather clues to determine who killed Hajime Hinata.


	7. Prologue, Part 5

A/N: Okay it's time for the investigation to begin. Just so you know, even though the game hasn't officially started yet, this prologue mystery will be treated like any other murder case in the game. After finding clues and gathering evidence and testimony a class trial will be held to determine who Hajime Hinata's murderer is. The only thing that will be different is the way of picking the culprit, none of the students participating in the investigation have killed him, and Monokuma is "innocent" like always, so who does that leave as the culprit? Think real hard and I'm sure you could come up with a good hypothesis, but even then you've still probably got a 1/27 chance of figuring out who the killer is. How is it that little of a chance? Read and find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 5: The suspects**

* * *

DAYTIME, 9:10 AM

Monokuma was laughing at our misery, and the hopelessness of our situation. "Now I think you guys understand the thing that you're all lacking. Despair, there's not nearly enough despair in you for my tastes. You all have complexes, sure every teenager has one. But so few complexes become full-fledged despair, so that's why you're here. You're here to play a game that will destroy you all mentally, emotionally, and physically. A game that will drag you into the depths of despair. Hajime Hinata was originally supposed to bear the title of Ultimate Wannabe but as you saw he didn't really work out, he didn't want to play either so there were consequences for backing out of the game. Now as for the rest of you, I've given you a demonstration of my power. So I, your beloved headmaster Monokuma, will give you an ultimatum. Hear me out and take the test, or else you will all die just like Hajime Hinata. Once again, the decision is yours to make, and yours alone. So my precious students, what's it gonna be? Despair or death?" he asked as sharp claws shot out of his left paw, which he showed us threateningly as his red eye glowed brightly.

We were all silent. Not one of us dared utter a single word.

Monokuma laughed again. "Good, now if there aren't any more interruptions, let the game begin. Welcome to the Murder Mystery Tour."

"Mur-Murder Mystery Tour?" Micho repeated in horror.

"Yes, Murder Mystery Tour. Do you need to get your ears checked?" Monokuma asked condescendingly. "I also could've gone with tutorial, but I felt that would be a little cliché, so instead it's a tour of what your life is going to be like for the time being. A test to see if you can stick it out and play my game for real. Hajime-kun proved himself worthy by taking one of my other tests, but unfortunately he got knocked out of the competition before the real fun could even begin." Monokuma sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, I wasn't expecting much from that talentless nobody anyway."

I growled at that comment and deepened my glare at Monokuma.

Monokuma laughed at my reaction and then continued his explanation. "Anyway, here's how things are going to happen. Hajime-kun's killer is inside the school as we speak and your job is to sniff them out."

"Inside the school, more like standing right in front of us," I replied.

"Eh? Whatcha talking about?" Monokuma asked as he cocked his head to the side.

"You practically admitted that you were the one who killed Hinata-kun already! There we solved the mystery now let us out, none of us want to be here anymore!" I shouted at the psychotic bear.

"Pfft… _hahahahahahahahahaha_!" Monokuma responded with a fit of loud laughter that forced him to grip his sides in order to keep his balance and keep him from falling off of the podium. Then after he was finished laughing he asked, "You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Honestly, a mystery that easy to solve should be B-rated for babies. This a M-rated game wise guy – or T-rated depending on where you live – that's why we can have cursing, blood and gore, and all the underlying themes – wink, wink – that your little heart desires. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, I most positively, absolutely, with 100% certainty, did not kill Hajime Hinata. I just kind of forced the killer's hand. Ergo, my hands, I mean paws, are clean." Monokuma showed us his paw pads in retort.

"What do you mean by, you forced the killer's hand, exactly? Izuru asked out of curiosity.

"Finally a person who is willing to ask questions pertaining to the game. I was beginning to think that you guys fool-heartedly believed in that old saying curiosity killed the cat, or in this case person. Please, this is a mystery game, ask all the questions you want, by all means. I'll even give you a couple of free hints, to get more it's gonna cost you though, just like a real mystery game."

"Would you please stop calling this a game, it's not a game dude, this is something sick and disgusting!" Nate exclaimed in fury.

"Wow, even though you're mad at him you still used the word "please"?" Nodaka asked. "You might even have better manners than me. Yeah right." Even in this situation she could still find the time to be snide.

"Oho, but this most certainly is a mystery game. Think about it, we've got the perfect location for a good old-fashioned school murder mystery, a couple of zany characters, and even a frigging corpse that's rotting upstairs as we speak!"

"Y-You say that so casual like. You're a horrible person," Shiro commented.

"Why thank you," Monokuma replied, "But you don't need to flatter me to get me to tell you anything, I'll tell you all need to know right now. I selected Hajime-kun as well as twenty-seven others to compete in my splendid game."

"Twenty-seven others? Wait, there's twenty of us, does that mean we were already selected for your game, Mr. Monokuma?" Keiko asked.

"Oh no, no, no," Monokuma waved off the question. "You guys aren't the originals, not even close. You're utter garage compared to them."

Nagito frowned and said, "I know I'm trash but it still hurts when I get called that by others. Thank you for your honesty though."

"What I mean is, you guys are the backups, the extras, the understudies, whatever you want to call yourselves. You're just not the first picks, m'kay? I was forced to draw you guys into the game because my original picks met with a…well I guess you couldn't say unfortunate accident because I locked them in a room without any food, a limited supply of water, and forced sleep deprivation for a whole week and told them that the only way they were getting out was if eight of them were killed off by the other twenty…so what would you call that situation?" The gymnasium went silent again as a whole new terror filled us. This one, much more powerful than the last.

"W-What the hell?!" Nate exclaimed as he twitched in fear.

"That…that…that can't be…that…" Jonathan was at a loss for words for the time since we met him.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Chihiro kept shouting over and over again and broke out into a stream of tears, as Cam desperately tried to comfort her.

"What…what the hell is the matter with you, you maniacal piece of junk?!" Nodaka screamed.

"Nyaaaaaaaaaa! Azami-tan doesn't want to hear any more hebi! Make the bad bear go away hebi, make him go away!" Azami screamed as she covered her cat ears and shook her head.

"You…you're a monster. A monster, an utter monster!" Micho shouted at Monokuma in fury.

"Again, flattery will get you nowhere," Monokuma replied with a wicked smile.

"She's not flattering you, you moronic toy, she's saying you're pure evil!" Soshun shouted.

I just stood there with a horrified look on my face. It was like all the life had been sucked from my body. I couldn't move at all. My mind kept replaying the image of Hajime in that blood-covered classroom, that same classroom that had markers where other dead bodies were found inside. Then it all made sense, the other people who died in that classroom must have been the students Monokuma was talking about. 'They were killed like Hajime, just for this evil "thing's" amusement?' I thought to myself. I felt like I was going to vomit again, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't move my body to engage in the bodily release. I was even having trouble breathing. It was like my body was shutting down from the mental strain of being told such horrible nightmarish things.

And just then someone knocked me back to my senses. "Hey, you okay?" he said as he slapped me on my back. Yasuke turned me around to face him, his mouth and nose were covered in dry blood as was his shirt but other than that he seemed like he was fully healed. Then he glared at me. "Don't do that. Can't you see you're just letting him get to you if you react like that?" I blinked a few times in confusion as to what Yasuke meant. He growled and then grabbed me by my shirt collar. "I'm saying to snap out of it you idiot! Don't freaking zone out every time you hear bad news!" Then he let me go and turned back to the others who were just as surprised to see Yasuke back on his feet after the pumbling Monokuma had given him. "And that goes for the rest of you wimps too, get over it! Is it horrible?! Yes! Does this little monochromatic fuck deserve a beat down?! Hell yes! But crying and wussing out isn't doing anyone any good!" Then Yasuke turned to face Monokuma, "I heal fast when it comes head injuries. Here's some advice, if you're going to rough up a neurologist don't aim for the head, they know how to restore the pressure easily, you dumbass. But despite being on the verge of consciousness, I heard every little piece of what you told them. This is a psychological game, isn't it? To see how far you can push us before we break? Well I've got news for you, you damn teddy bear I ain't breaking!"

Monokuma snickered. "Oho, are you sure about that? I've already done this exact same thing with a bunch of other kids, and almost none of them survived. Aren't you scared you'll end up dead too?"

"I don't care what happens to me. I don't care what the hell you do because nothing you say and nothing you try will break my spirit. As long as I have the thing that drives me, that promise that I have with "her", you will not break me!" Yasuke replied with might.

An anger mark appeared on Monokuma's forehead. "So annoying. That hopeful speech you're throwing out is garbage! Nothing you say will break me either you stupid neurologist! This game will continue whether you like it or not, and there's no getting out until a winner is declared!"

"Fine, then if that's the only way to leave I'll play your game." Yasuke looked over his shoulder at the rest of us. "And as for you morons, you better grow a pair right now and play with me, or I'll do more damage to you than Monokuma did to me. Is that clear?" I gulped and nodded furiously, and the others agreed as well but were not as fearful as when I did it.

Micho rubbed her shoulder as she contemplated his words. "You're…you're right. It's not fair to those other students to just give in. That's what he wants right? He wants us to give up? Well I…" her determination returned and she shouted as she glared at Monokuma, "I won't do it you hear me?! I will not stop until those students you massacred receive justice for what you put them through! When we get out of here I'll personally see to it that you get nothing less than the death penalty! Even though I defend the guilty I'll become a prosecutor for just one trial in order to deal with you!"

"If there are really students whose deaths are unknown then we have to reveal them to the world, we have to find some way to honor them. So I'll play too for their sake!" Sawa exclaimed.

"I hate bullies and you're one of the worst kinds dude, I might even break my one rule to make sure you get your comeuppance!" Nate exclaimed with fury.

"Are you idiots crazy as well?!" Jonathan exclaimed in confusion.

"Count me in too, Mr. Yasuke Matsuda," Keiko agreed.

"Qui, monsieur Monokuma needs to be taught a lesson. Au revoir despair!" Connie exclaimed.

"Seriously?!" Jonathan exclaimed in disbelief.

"I'll play along too," Shiro said.

"Me too," Soshun seconded.

"Even though I'm trash I'd never back away from a challenge," Nagito said with a smile, "That would make me appear even more worthless."

"I already told you that this game interests me. I'll go along with it as long as it continues to excite me," Izuru said with conviction.

"Jagaimo-chan is with Surudoi-kun 100% hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"You people…"Jonathan couldn't believe what was happening.

Chihiro dried her face a little and then gathered up all her courage. "I…I've got to be brave. I don't want anyone else to get hurt so I'll play too," she spoke without uttering so much as a single stutter.

"If my princess is playing then I shall as well. I've vowed to protect her with all my body and soul!" Cam exclaimed.

"Disgusting. But my mistress would be displeased with me if I ran away from a fight so I guess I'm in too," Nodaka said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm playing too. Even though sea sponges are my favorite sea creatures I'll become the mighty great white and take a bite out of Monokuma!" Aya exclaimed as she chomped at the air like she was a shark.

"T-Though I may not be useful in anyt-anything non-history re-related I can't forgive him for wh-what he's done to th-this school. I'll power through and fight as well!" Jose exclaimed with determination.

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will ― Mahatma Gandhi. Though I may not be physically strong my will shall be unbreakable," Beigoma said with conviction.

"…..I'll play for as long as I can be useful…." And after saying that Mukuro remained quiet.

"You…you're all really serious?" Jonathan sighed in defeat and then he growled and ripped his paper mask off of his face. "Ugh dammit, fine I'll go along with this madness for now even though all this blood and death repulses me to no end. And Ya, for Christ's sake grab a wet wipe or something because you look disgusting with all that blood on you."

Yasuke smirked and looked back at Monokuma, as did we all. Yasuke's words somehow brought us back from the edge and lifted our spirits. He was right, I vowed before I even walked in here that no matter what I was going to get out if it was the last thing I ever did. And I didn't intend to break my promise either!

"Ugh, what's with that hopeful look on you guys' faces? It's disgusting. Come on, what happened to that beautiful despair? Bring it back damn you!" Monokuma exclaimed. Then he sighed in surrender. "Fine, let's continue the basics. As I was saying, Hajime-kun and the other twenty-seven students were picked to participate in this game originally, but just like with you guys I wanted to see if they could stick it out so I gave them a little test. I locked them in a classroom on the fifth floor for a whole week without any food, the tiniest bit of water, and I wouldn't even allow them to sleep. I boarded up all the windows, making the door the only entrance and exit, and I told them that I would only let them out if eight of them died. Sure, they tried to resist it at first but once the killing started it wouldn't stop. Eventually eight of them were finito and the game was set to begin, but then came another decision made by the group. A mass suicide. They couldn't live with what they had done so eighteen of them decided to kill themselves so they would be able to escape the pain and despair that they would be forced to live with. Only two students managed to resist the despair and remain alive, proving that they alone were qualified for the game ahead. Hajime Hinata and blankity blank."

"So wait, if Hinata-kun was meant to take Maita-kun's place then shouldn't the one remaining student who survived be with us as well. What happened to them?" Izuru asked.

"And that therein lies the problem folks, the last remaining student was the person who killed Hajime Hinata. Their identity is what you are required to find out in order to pass the Murder Mystery Tour. Which means you have twenty-seven suspects to choose from, you guys have got your work cut out for you. Now let's meet those lucky individuals shall we, after all if you guys are going to investigate you should at least know who you're investigating." Monokuma pulled a small remote control with a big red button on it out of nowhere and then with little hesitation he pressed the button, which opened up the back stage curtain behind Monokuma. And then suddenly a large electronic and flashy game show board appeared. The game show board was complete with black and white tiled panels that formed the Hope's Peak Academy school crest and an array of flashing lights that made the board seem bright and entertaining. Then Monokuma grabbed the microphone from the podium and ran over to the game show board. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said through the microphone, "It's time to play a little game I like to call _Name that Suspect_!"

"He's theatrical, I'll give him that," Shiro said as he sweatdropped.

"Just get to it already!" Yasuke shouted.

"Fine, fine, Mr. Snappy." Monokuma walked up to the game board tiles, which were aligned 9X3 making a total of twenty-seven in all. "Let's begin, the first suspect is…" Monokuma flipped the first tile over and showed that there was a picture of the suspect on the back. It was a girl with long blue hair and pretty blue eyes who wore a sailor-style uniform. "The Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono!"

Immediately my eyes widened, as did everyone else's. There was not a single person in the country who did not know about the famed idol Sayaka Maizono. She and her idol group were some of the most talked about elites in pop culture, and her enrolling in Hope's Peak Academy put it on the map thanks to her large fan base. And yet she was a suspect in a murder? That didn't make any sense.

"Alright, next up we have…" Monokuma flipped another tile and showed a picture of a beautiful blonde twin-tailed girl with diamond-like blue eyes. "The Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima!"

My eyes went even wider. Yet another one of Hope's Peak Academy's most elite and talked about students was placed up on Monokuma's game show board. That meant that Junko Enoshima was either one of the eight victims, one of the eighteen students that committed suicide, or Hajime's killer. 'How? How did they get involved in this? If they suddenly went missing there should have been a huge uproar, but in the past few days there hasn't been any news about either of them disappearing.' In truth I had just seen a new music video of Sayaka Maizono's and read a recent article in a magazine about Junko Enoshima the other day. 'How could they be a part of this nightmare?' I asked myself.

"Next up is...the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata!" And then one after another. Name by name, all of them were some of Hope's Peak Academy's most prized students. The top tier of the top tier. Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny and heir to the Togami Group, one of the biggest financial and corporate giants of the world. Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy and beloved female romance novelist. Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro and a contender for a spot on the Japanese Olympic swimming team. Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant and well known fortune teller known as the Supernova. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass and well-known stick in the mud prefect. Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator and well known and respected otaku. Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader and ring leader of Japan's most notorious delinquent biker gang the Crazy Diamonds. Celestia Ludenberg AKA Taeko Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Gambler and Keiko's rival. Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist who had a record of over four-hundred wins in the ring. Makoto Naegi, who was not very well known besides the fact that he was one of the Ultimate Lucky Students like Nagito. And Kyoko Kirigiri, who was not only known as the Ultimate Detective but also happened to be the headmaster's – the real headmaster's – daughter. Chihiro started to cry more and more and clinged to Cam, much to his pleasure.

"Fujisaki and I are in the same class. The 78th class, like them. They were our classmates," Mukuro suddenly spoke up, alarming us all. She really needed to speak more, every time she would open her mouth it surprised us.

"Wait? You two know each other?" Nodaka asked. "How come you waited this long to say anything?"

"Fujisaki is shy and I just didn't see the point. Now that things are explained, Monokuma please continue, there's thirteen suspects left if my math is right," Mukuro blurted out.

Even Monokuma looked taken back. "Um…okay? Not much of a talker are you?" Then he went back to the game board and revealed the next suspect. "Number fifteen is…Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse!"

This time Nagito was the one to overreact. He shrieked and while wearing a terrified expression on his face asked Monokuma, "Mikan-chan, is dead?!"

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself! It's your job to find out who is dead and who the sole survivor is! No spoilers!" Monokuma exclaimed.

Nagito still seemed concerned so I tried to stop his worrying by talking to him. "Do you know her, Komaeda-kun?"

"S-She's my classmate and she's really nice. I get sick a lot so whenever it's an off day for me she stays with me and helps comfort me until I feel better. Since she's a nurse she does that with all the students who become ill but to me it's special because she has the decency to show such worthless trash like me tenderness and compassion."

"Even when he's scared that persecution complex kicks in. Give it a rest dude, seriously!" Nate exclaimed.

"Maybe he needs negative reinforcement to function, just like a dog," Nodaka said with a smirk.

"Hey enough clowning around! We've got twelve more suspects left to introduce! The sooner we get this done the sooner you guys can leave, you know?!" That got our attention and we all quieted down.

Then Monokuma went back to listing off the suspects. "Next, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza!" Monokuma flipped a tile on the game board that showed the Ultimate Yakuza, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. And then I thought I heard a gasp come from one of the others. I looked back behind me and saw that Nodaka had suddenly started to frown and had gained a look of sorrow in her eyes. But by that time she seemed to have become completely silent so instead of worrying over her I looked back at Fuyuhiko's picture on the game board.

'Huh, I heard rumors that a descendant of the Kuzuryuu's went to school here but I thought it was just a rumor. I guess talents come in all shapes and forms, even if the talent just lies in having a dangerous name and personality. And Nodaka? Did she know him personally?' The Kuzuryuu Clan was one of the most notorious and deadly Yakuza clans in all of Japan. According to rumor, people who owed anything to them or even got on their bad side had a bad habit of disappearing, as well as their families.

Monokuma flipped over another tile and said, "Next up is…the Ultimate Swordswoman, Peko Pekoyama!" Monokuma showed a picture of Peko Pekoyama and then I thought I heard Nodaka whisper _"no"_ in reply, but when I looked back at her again she went dead silent yet again.

'What's up with her?' I asked myself and then I turned back around and faced the game show board again. After naming those three suspects Monokuma went on to call out who the other suspects were and showed us their pictures on his game board one by one. There was Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer and well known artist. Terteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook and maker of exquisite gourmet food. Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician and queen of light music. Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer and all around loli girl – but despite her short stature she was somehow still a high school student. Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder and the well-known chuunibyou stricken "half-mortal/half-demon" spawn. Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager who had a knack for making everyone he came across an all-star in their own field through very loud motivation. Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast and well-known air head. Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess and actual princess of the small European country of Novoselic. Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic who was known for being very skittish and geeky despite his punk rock appearance. And the last tile Monokuma flipped over showed a picture of a genderless silhouetted figure with a question mark where their face should be.

"Hey what gives with the last one?" Yasuke asked.

"Maybe that means that the last person is the person whose identity we have to figure out. I'm right aren't I, you dumb bear?" Nodaka asked snidely.

Monokuma laughed in reply to her comment. "I told you already that this game isn't B-rated! Not including the mystery suspect you still have twenty-six more suspects to investigate and clear."

"What? You're giving us a mystery suspect? How is that fair?" Shiro asked.

"It's not," Monokuma simply replied.

"He means what you're doing isn't fair!" Soshun exclaimed. "How can we investigate someone when you won't give us their identity?!"

"He's cheating hebi! Not fair hebi!" Azami shouted.

"If you're going to make a game you have to make it fair for everyone. We live in an impartial world, and even a game has to be held up by rules," Micho explained.

"Blah, blah, blah, blah," Monokuma mocked her. "It wasn't even my idea okay?! That kid is freaking anonymous by design! Haven't you idiots ever heard of the Ultimate Imposter?!"

Then all at once, everyone in the room gasped except for me. I was still suck on the title. "Ultimate Imposter? What kind of talent does that even imply?" I asked aloud.

"It's just supposed to be a ghost story. How the hell can it be real?" Yasuke asked rhetorically.

"You're lying! You dumb bear, everyone knows the Ultimate Imposter is just a myth! Don't make shit up as you go along!" Nodaka shouted. "I'm much tougher than that dirty manga otaku, I'll tear you to fucking shreds!"

"Well news flash kiddies! I'm not making anything up! I'm here to tell you that the Ultimate Imposter is real! I found them and made them a player in my game solely because of their talent! I was sure it would spice things up!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"So, it's true?" Shiro asked with wide eyes. "The Ultimate Imposter is really real?"

"And things just keep getting more and more exciting," Izuru said with a wide smile. "The one person said to be even more elusive than me."

"I pale in comparison next to you guys but compared to that person I'm nothing more than a zooplankton in a large sea of talent," Nagito said with a smile.

"Um, technically Komaeda-san, femtoplankton are the smallest plankton in the world, not zooplankton," Aya explained.

"Oh really? Thank you for the explanation, Aya-chan. In that case, I'm even more miniscule than femtoplankton," he downgraded himself with a happy smile.

"Who is the Ultimate Imposter?" I asked again.

"Nobody knows. Their talent is being a master of disguise and deception, they can disguise themselves as anyone at any time they choose. Nobody even knows their real gender so traditional pronouns are out the window. They are that good at fooling people," Izuru explained with a smirk.

'Wow, someone has a talent as amazing as that?' I thought to myself.

"This is ridiculous! How are we supposed to find out who the Ultimate Imposter is and who the killer is, if they could be two different people?" Micho asked.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to be good at solving those mysteries," Monokuma said with a chuckle. "I, on the other hand, already know the Ultimate Imposter's true identity and the identity of Hajime Hinata's killer. And I will say that it is possible that the killer and the Ultimate Imposter are the same person. But still that's a 1/27 chance possibility so don't put all your eggs into that basket. Follow all leads and all possibilities and you're sure to find one that pans out all the way. There that's your first hint."

"How does that qualify as a hint? That is, how you say, suckish?" Connie asked.

Monokuma ignored her and continued, "Now, remember there are clues hidden all throughout the school and even in the dorm area, some were left behind by the killer and some were moved around and tampered with by yours truly for some added fun. Try to eliminate as many suspects as you can before the time limit runs out."

"Time limit?" I repeated. "None of the messages you sent said anything about a time limit."

"Well there is one, so says me. You have one hour to explore and solve as many mysteries as you can, with the twenty of you covering every area that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

I glared at Monokuma.

"And in other news, once the time limit is up then the best part begins. The class trial!" Monokuma exclaimed as he raised his arms up in the air to show his excitement.

"Class trial?" Micho repeated. "There's an actual trial for the killer?"

"Yes indeedy, not a conventional trial mind you but we've got the important parts. The judge, me, the jury, you guys, and the executioner, me again."

"Eh?" I uttered in confusion.

Monokuma sighed in exasperation. "Geez, you high school kids need everything spelled out for you, don't you? Since this is still technically a school, we don't have access to forensic technology like fingerprint powder and DNA analyzers so you guys will have to act as traditional detectives and find clues that link the killer to the crime. Then when the class trial begins you'll discuss your findings in a debate to decide who the killer is, while I will act as your impartial judge, knowing who the killer really is and all. If you get it right then you win and that's the end, but if you get it wrong…" Monokuma's red eye glowed again, "I'll kill each and every one of you myself in the most horrible, bloody, gut-wrenching ways imaginable and I'll just find another group of students to take your place. And if they fail the test too then I'll find another group, then another, and another until I finally find someone worthy to play my true game. But win or lose its fun for me either way!"

That kept us quiet for a few moments. We were appalled at the amount of respect this monster had for human life. And then she broke the silence. "Are we the only people here?" Mukuro suddenly asked.

"Eh?" Monokuma cocked his head to the side in response to her question.

"You mentioned before that Hajime Hinata and the killer were the sole survivors of your first test, but you never once said what happened to the killer after they killed Hinata. I want to know, are they still inside the school somewhere or are you hiding them until this "class trial" begins?" Mukuro asked curiously.

"That's a question within my means to answer, okay fine I'll tell you. I'm keeping them under lock and key for their crimes right now so don't worry they won't be able to get to all of you. If they were willing to kill Hajime-kun just because someone told them that if they did they would be able to withdraw from the game and go home they might be willing to get rid of the rest of you for the same reason. Oopsy, said too much again," Monokuma said with a chuckle.

"You're truly a horrible creature," Micho said in disgust.

"I see, and if we choose the correct person as the killer we will be able to survive, but if I may ask what will happen to the killer in that case?" Mukuro asked a follow up question.

"You really want to know?" Monokuma asked as he held his hands over his mouth to contain a giggle.

'When he says it like that, not really. But if the punishment is death for us if we get it wrong I can only guess…' I began to think to myself but was cut off by Monokuma.

"They get executed!" Monokuma shouted in glee. "For taking a life they get their life taken away from them in return in an incredibly fun punishment created by yours truly. And fair warning, you guys get to watch…that is "if" you can correctly identify the killer, otherwise they get to watch your demise and then leave the school and return home."

"Wait, if we can't identify the killer then they get to leave?" Nate asked.

"Bingo, you and your mystery solving skills are the last obstacle standing between the killer and the thing that they risked their lives for and committed murder to obtain. But don't let that stop you, after all there are twenty of you and only one of them left. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few after all."

"So even if we win they lose…permanently?" Shiro asked in surprise.

"Yep, yep, yep, and more yep. How's that on your conscious? Does it feel you with despair? _Hahahaha_ , choke on it you bastards!"

"I'm not backing down, I'm getting out of here no matter what," Yasuke said with determination.

"They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it. Let come what may," Izuru said.

"…I guess we…don't have a choice, do we?" Sawa asked with a frown.

"But still, this is someone's life we're playing with here," Keiko said.

"They were the person who made the idiotic decision to listen to this psychopath and kill," Jonathan huffed.

"But aren't we doing the same thing?" Aya asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…yeah, but shut up this is different, no matter what happens I'm not going to kill anyone. I'm not an idiot," Jonathan said as he crossed his arms over his waist in denial.

"Same here, I could never do something so horrible," Shiro said.

"Yeah, you're right I won't kill anyone either. I know we just met but I already think of you all as good friends," Beigoma said with a smile.

"Same here, killing each other isn't going to bring us any hope at all. Hoping for the alternative and finding a way out of our situation, that's where our true hope lies," said Nagito.

"Alright, so we're all in agreement? We have no choice but to play along and get through this the best we can," said Izuru. "There's no turning back, it's the killer or us, and I choose us."

I sighed and nodded. "Let's just get this over with."

"Sounds like you've all made your decision, but just in case you get cold feet I think I'll make it so you can't just run and hide. You're gonna love this. Lights!" Monokuma shouted as he raised his paws up in the air. And then suddenly the whole gymnasium went pitch black.

"What the…?! Who turned out the lights?!" Nate shouted.

"Another damn trick?! Give it a rest already you stupid bear!" Nodaka shouted.

"Guys…I-I'm af-afraid of th-the da-dark!" Chihiro cried.

"Aww, don't be scared Chihiro-chan, I'll hold on to you," Cam replied.

"Um, that's my hand you're holding," said Soshun.

"Oh, heh sorry," Cam replied.

And then the lights suddenly turned back on and Monokuma came into full view. Literally. He had appeared right in front of me. "Boo!" I shrieked and fell back onto the floor in surprise. Monokuma laughed at my reaction. "You must be a killer at surprise parties!"

"Hey what's the deal?" Micho asked, "Why'd you turn out the lights?"

"Oh no reason at all, hey speaking of the lights does anyone notice anything different about the room now that they're back on?" Monokuma asked.

"What do you mean?" Yasuke asked.

"Take a look around why don'tcha? You're in for a big surprise," Monokuma said and then he laughed again.

Curious, we all looked around the gymnasium and tried to search for what Monokuma was talking about. And then I saw it, all of the windows in the gymnasium were gone and in their place were thick, bolted iron plates. It was official, we were trapped inside. Even more now than before. "What? How? Where did those iron plates come from?!" I exclaimed.

"Eh?! Those weren't there before!" Micho exclaimed.

"What's going on hebi?! More tricks hebi?!" Azami exclaimed.

Yasuke seemed shocked beyond all belief. "Y-You're…you're kidding?! What the hell is going on?!"

Monokuma laughed again. "There's that wonderful despair. Oh how I missed it so. You guys are just like the others, you make up tons of little lies to keep yourselves going and say that you won't give in but in the end the only person you're lying to is yourself. You can't fool me, with each obstacle that I give you your inner despair just keeps growing and growing, and with time it will all bubble up to the surface and let loose those animalistic instincts we all hide inside. It happened to them and it will happen to you. I may be a lot of things but a liar is not one of them, of this I can assure you." This was all a game to him, a sick and twisted game. We were all horrified but we didn't so much as utter a word. "Now then, before you begin I have two other things to give you."

"No, no more of your surprises Monsieur Monokuma! You are wicked to no end!" Connie shouted.

"Calm down, calm down, these things are going to help you," Monokuma said. And then he skipped back up to the auditorium stage and grabbed his remote control again, and then he pressed the large red button again and made the game board disappear. And then two tables appeared in its place. One of the tables had several odd looking devices on them and the other table had an assortment of red, black, and gray booklets. Monokuma raised his hands up in the air again and shouted, "I need nineteen more me's here, on the double!" And suddenly a horde of Monokumas appeared out of nowhere, making twenty in all.

"What the hell?! There's more of them?!" Yasuke shouted.

"Impossible!" Micho exclaimed.

"No way!" I exclaimed.

"Ugh, no more bad bears hebi!" Azami screamed as she pulled at her hair and her cat ears.

"This…this is too much, seriously," Shiro said in disbelief.

"Make it stop!" Chihiro cried.

"Enough, you're scaring her too much!" Cam shouted.

"Impossible, Monsieur Monokuma has multiplied, terrifying no?!" Connie exclaimed.

"Ugh, more sickingly idiotic bears, just what we needed!" Jonathan shouted.

"I…I was wrong! They're the sharks in this equation!" Aya screamed in terror.

"Um, hi little guys. Nice to…meet you?" Nagito said in an unsure tone, I could tell that even he was unnerved.

Mukuro growled in response to the new arrivals.

All the Monokumas laughed at once. "What's up bitches?! X 20!" And then they all flashed a peace sign. "I have a few presents for each of you! X 20!" Then one by one each of the Monokumas grabbed a device and a booklet off the tables and then each of them rushed over to give us the "presents". The strange device was multiple shades of blue and had the Hope's Peak Academy crest on it. And the booklet was monochromatic like Monokuma, but with red, gray, and black instead of black and white. There was also a large number _0_ printed on the cover of the booklet and a printed logo of Monokuma's face. Then when all of us had been given our "presents", the Monokumas raced back to the stage and the lead Monokuma shouted, "Okay, that'll be all! Dismissed!" and then the nineteen other Monokumas disappeared, leaving the one remaining.

"Alrighty then, let me explain a little about your gifts and then we can start the mystery. First you have your electronic student handbooks, or as I like to call them e-handbooks. Get it? "e" because they're electronic and handbooks because they're student handbooks. Do you get it?" Then Monokuma waved us off and said, "Ah, too high brow for you dummies." Then he cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, your e-handbooks have personal information on all of you, they can give you access to some restricted areas in the school, and can store any new intel or clues you gather for solving mysteries. They're pretty handy so it's in your best interest to keep up with them."

"And next you have what I like to call the Monokuma File! Since you kids are inexperienced when it comes to blood and gore the Monokuma File will give you all the information you need to know about Hajime Hinata's murder, concerning cause of death, time of death, a description of the murder weapon, and other details that might help you find out who the killer is. The rest is up to you though. Now I'll give you one hour to find out what you can and eliminate as many suspects as possible. Remember to check every nook and cranny of the school, you never know where a clue might be hiding. Your e-handbooks will give you access to the dorms so check them out too if you please. It might be in your best interests to do so, hintity-hint-hint. And I would advise you to not dilly-dally, even with twenty people you've got your work cut out for you. Clock's ticking, tick-tock-tick-tock, execute-kill-execute-kill. Monokuma out, bitches!" Then he disappeared and left us to gather our thoughts.

DAYTIME, 10:00 AM

1:00:00 REMAINING

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A/N: Did that surprise you guys? You hyped up for the mystery and some more despair? Just who will the killer turn out to be? Stay tuned.


	8. Prologue, Part 6

A/N: Okay time for the mystery to begin. Hopefully it's as good as I think it is but only time will tell. Now since this chapter incorporates the entire investigation it is extremely long so I broke it up into three chapters, but I recommend that you read each and every detail thoroughly so you can have a pretty good idea as to what clues will be used in the class trial which starts as _Prologue, Part 9_. But to make things clearer, each time a clue is gathered I'll spell it out in capital letters like I've done so far for the subchapters and character introductions. As always the investigations will be basically finding things that seem out of place and no real conclusions will be drawn on the clues until the class trial begins. As you all should know it's almost impossible to figure out whodunit before the class trial begins. Anyway I hope you guys find the investigation interesting, and please send me back comments on areas you think I can improve in, if any, as it's my first time writing mysteries.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 6: Revisiting the crime scene**

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:00 AM

1:00:00 REMAINING

For a few moments we stood in complete silence, unsure of what exactly to do next. Until Azami spoke up and broke the silence. "Are we…really going through with this hebi?" she asked with a scared expression on her face.

"We don't have a choice," Micho replied. "We have to find out who killed Hinata-kun or else…we're finished. There's not a doubt in my mind that…that monster wouldn't kill us. You saw the way he acted. No remorse at all."

"What was he anyway? I'm sure that he wasn't a real bear," said Shiro.

"No shit Sherlock? Figure that one out on your own?" Yasuke asked. "I agree with what Junmaru said earlier, the way he moved and reacted when I was trying to hit him, he couldn't be anything else but a robot."

"I knew it!" Jonathan exclaimed in satisfaction. "And you idiots all thought I was wrong."

"But didn't he say that he wasn't a robot?" Nagito asked. "Are you saying he lied to us?"

"Duh, of course he did you ugly dog boy," Nodaka replied. "You didn't honestly believe a word he said did you?"

"Wait are you saying that maybe he lied about that Hajime dude biting it too?" Nate asked.

"Nope, that was the truth. I've already seen him, someone indeed killed Hajime Hinata. Maita-kun saw him too," Izuru said as he smirked at me.

"…" They all looked at me with questioning eyes, begging for some longing feeling that all of this wasn't really reality. But they couldn't escape it and neither could I, this was cold, hard reality. "It's true…Hinata-kun was in my class back at the Reserve Department before he got transferred here to the main school. We weren't really friends but I was happy for him that he got accepted to go, and a tad bit jealous too," I said with a sad smile spread across my face. And then I frowned. "And today I walked around the school for a little while and that's when I came across a dead body on the fifth floor. I freaked out at first but after a while I calmed down and took at a closer look at it, and I recognized his face. It was Hinata-kun, all bloody and lifeless."

"And then I came along and that's how we crossed paths," Izuru explained.

"So it is true," said Sawa. "He died…no, he and several others died while Monokuma just sat back and watched."

"Him and the person or people controlling him," Yasuke added.

"Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro," Keiko said her rival's name in a sad tone.

"And Mikan-chan and my other classmates," Nagito added.

"And all my friends…" Chihiro continued to cry. "They're all gone?" she asked with a sniffle.

I noticed that even Mukuro appeared to be distraught. She and Chihiro were classmates after all, so Chihiro's friends were also Mukuro's friends. And then I thought I heard her whisper a name. "Makoto…" she repeated over and over again.

'Makoto? Makoto Naegi?' I wondered if that's who she meant.

"You all know what we have to do, right? Our objective is to survive and the only way we can do that is if we solve this mystery. We can grieve all we want but it's not going to change a thing, they're dead and we're not, we have to think about us and our survival right now. We only have an hour to figure out as much as we can, and we have the entire school to cover so we have our work cut out for us," Izuru explained. "It would probably be beneficial if each one of you took a look at the crime scene on the fifth floor, take the Monokuma File with you so you can study up and then it would be best to check everywhere we can for clues just like Monokuma said," said Izuru.

"Excuse me? But who put you in charge tall, dark, and creepy?" Nodaka asked.

"Humor aside, I'm not trying to be in charge and tell you what to do, I'm only telling you what would be beneficial to you. I for one plan to survive so I'm going to use all the time I have to find answers. It's just a suggestion for you to do the same, feel free not to follow it. But it would be greatly appreciated if you participated, I don't want have to carry all of you through the class trial. Now since I already got a good look at the crime scene I'm going to get started on looking for clues. Adios," and without another word Izuru left the gymnasium with his Monokuma File and e-handbook in tote.

"He's right you know, we have to take this seriously. It's our lives that are on the line now. But before I get started I think I'm going to head to the infirmary and patch myself up and clean up all this blood on me," said Yasuke.

"Thank God, as previously stated you look disgusting," Jonathan complained.

"Yeah, yeah, after I'm done I'll head over to the crime scene. Anybody needs me you know where to find me, just do me a favor and don't need me too much." Yasuke looked at me. "That goes for you the most, wimpy, don't make me have to smack some sense into you again."

I gulped again and then nodded. "Yeah, got it."

Yasuke nodded and then he left as well. And then slowly, one by one the crowd in the gymnasium started to get smaller and smaller until the only two people left were, believe it or not, Nodaka and I. She appeared to be staring at the floor and she wore a large frown on her face. I thought that maybe I should say something to her so I sighed and took a deep breath and then said, "Hoshi-san?"

She slowly looked up at me. "What?"

"The others are going to check things out, don't you think maybe we should get going as well?" I asked.

She looked away from me and then she sighed as well. "How did it feel?" she suddenly asked.

"Eh?" I muttered in reply.

"When you saw Hajime Hinata's corpse, how did it make you feel?"

I didn't understand why she wanted to know something like that at first, but after thinking it over I assumed she just wanted to mentally prepare herself for the scene that lied ahead. So I sighed again and then began to answer her question. "The smell was what hit me at first. It was a horrible smell, and then slowly I began to perceive the scene around me. I didn't even think he was dead at first, he was so quiet and still that I just thought he might have been sleeping, sleeping in blood. And then when I finally realized he was dead I freaked out…and I kind of hurled," I said in embarrassment. Much to my delight, she giggled at that comment and a smile slowly began to form on her face. "But after that I…I don't know, I just sort of stopped feeling horrified and started feeling sad…it was like a hole had suddenly appeared in my chest. It felt like a piece of me had just been taken away, a tiny piece but an important piece none the less. And then when I realized who it was it just made me feel even sadder. You're going to think this is stupid but, one of the reasons why I wanted to come here was because I wanted to become friends with Hinata-kun for real. I didn't know him that well back when we were classmates and I wanted to make up for that, but it made me sad just knowing that I wouldn't be able to have that opportunity anymore."

"But here you are willing to talk to someone about all of it," Nodaka snickered. "A sign of weakness. If I were in your shoes I probably wouldn't be willing to talk to anyone, I'd keep all my emotions inside and cork them up real tight in the bottle to make sure they didn't leak out. You're the exact opposite of me cockroach boy, you wear your heart and emotions on your sleeves. No grace or elegance at all." Her words seemed condescending but the way she said them with a soft and gentle tone and a small smile made it seem almost like a compliment. It was like she really meant the exact opposite of what she was saying.

"Thanks…I guess?" I replied.

She snickered again. "You know what, my mistress would want me to remain strong. I owe it to her to let her hear the bad news coming from me. She deserves that much, so you better pull your weight cockroach boy because I want to get out of here more than you or anyone else." Then she shot me a glare, "You better not let me catch you slaking off, got it?"

'As intimidating as ever,' I thought as I nodded in reply.

Then she smiled and said, "Good, now I'm going to inspect the crime scene. If someone like you can handle it then I should have no problem. Tata," Nodaka said as she ran ahead, leaving me alone in the gymnasium.

"She's right," I said to myself. "Everyone's planning to do their best so I have to do my best too. I'm getting out of here, no matter what!" My mind made up, I was ready to act. I knew there was no turning back from the moment I first stepped foot into the gymnasium but now things were even more hectic, not just my life but the others' lives were also on the line. After speaking with them, and getting to know them even for just a little while I couldn't just let them end up like Hajime and the other students. We were getting out of here alive, all of us. I was going to make sure of that. But the first thing we had to do was solve the mystery and find out who killed Hajime, if we didn't do that then we were finished. "I can't back down, not now. I've got to get justice for Hinata-kun and the other students who were killed by Monokuma, I owe it to them to at least reveal to the world what happened to them." They were killed by Hope's Peak Academy as a sick joke. It had to end, I wasn't going to let Monokuma have his way. I was going to leave with the others, all of them, by my side. That was a promise.

* * *

INVESTIGATION MODE

* * *

"Alright, first let's see what these things are all about," I said as I looked down at Monokuma's "presents" in my hands. First I examined the e-handbook and then pressed a button on the side of the device, then all of a sudden the e-handbook glowed and released a whimsical ringtone like it was a cellphone. And then big letters flashed onto the screen that read:

HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY

And then a new screen, which had my picture on it as well as my name and personal information, appeared. "Heh, I guess this is so we can identify who each handbook belongs to," I said. Then I noticed there were several tabs on the side of the screen that appeared to be the pages for other functions of the e-handbook, but most of them appeared to be locked at the moment, all except for two. A _Timer_ function which displayed the current time of day and the remaining time we had to investigate. And then there was an _Ammunition_ function which had a set of instructions for it. Apparently each time I found a clue the _Ammunition_ function would automatically kick in and record the details of the clue for use in the class trial. It seemed very handy but I wasn't really sure on the technical aspects of it. Just how did it know what pertained to the case and what didn't?

I figured it was best not to dwell on the subject too much and instead I looked to my other "present", the Monokuma File, which apparently would tell me everything I would need to know about Hajime's death. I opened the file and read through the contents slowly. Inside there was a diagram of the human body and detailed information about the murder. This is what it read:

 _Victim's name: Hajime Hinata_

 _Time of death: A little before 2:00 AM_

 _Cause of death: Exsanguination due to multiple stab wounds in the abdomen._

 _Possible identification of murder weapon: Stab wounds appeared to be caused by a sharp object approximately 15 centimeters in length and 3 centimeters in diameter. Also according to the wound patterns on the victim's abdomen it appears the murder weapon had a serrated edge. The murder weapon is most likely some kind of knife or dagger._

 _Further notes: Though the stabs wounds to the abdomen appear to be the cause of death it should be noted that the victim also has several old wounds scattered along his arms and legs. As well as one fresh wound on his forehead that appears to have been inflicted antemortem, this was most likely caused during a struggle with the killer which resulted in the victim being subdued by the blow. Also there appear to be several scuff marks on the victim's shirt and pants._

As I looked up from the Monokuma File I frowned. It felt odd hearing Hajime's death being wrapped up in only a few short, scientific-sounding paragraphs. In no way did it match the true horror of the crime scene that I saw. I sighed and said, "Monokuma is truly awful." For some reason I couldn't find it in my heart to blame Hajime's killer, they were just a puppet being used by Monokuma. Who knows what kind of horror they had to endure? In the end, they just weren't strong enough. "But still, it's them or us. Whoever you are, I'm sorry but we have to win. It's our only hope." Then I sighed and closed the Monokuma File. And then I heard the whimsical ringtone of e-handbook and saw that a message had appeared on the screen.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA FILE #0

"Alright, now as much as I hate to admit it, I should probably check the crime scene one more time and check out the things that the Monokuma File mentioned. It also said in the Monokuma File that the murder weapon could be a knife or dagger. Huh? Wait a second. Didn't he…?" My mind raced back to the events that had happened earlier today.

Flashback: _"The one who what? Come on now if you're going to talk to me you've got to at least use full sentences. That's just common curtesy, right?" Then he looked past me and stared at Hajime's dead body. "Oh, you mean the one who killed the corpse? No that wasn't me." Then he smirked again and reached into his suits' pants' pocket and pulled something out that made my eyes go even wider. It was a huge jagged-edged knife. "Or was it?" I could see that the blade was bright pink as well. It was definitely used on Hajime. I didn't see any other dead bodies when I was looking around the school after all._

"Izuru!" I exclaimed. "The knife that he had on him earlier has to be the murder weapon!" So I made a mental note that I had to find Izuru and ask him about the knife. "Alright, and then after that I should probably check out each and every area in the school. And Monokuma said we should check out the dorms too, I think I saw the entrance to the dorms back at the end of the first floor hallway. It's kind of weird that they're in the same building though. And I should also find and talk to the others too and see if they found out anything useful. Ugh, man that's a lot to cover in less than an hour. I've got no time to lose!" I exclaimed and then ran out of the gymnasium and headed to the first floor staircase. It was time to go and see Hajime again.

DAYTIME, 10:07 AM

0:53:00 REMAINING

Upon entering the fifth floor classroom, classroom 5-C, again I was forced to inhale that horrible odor yet again. The smell of blood and death. I took a deep breath and then slowly walked into the room, where I saw Hajime's dead body still lying on the floor as well as Nagito, Micho, Soshun, and Nodaka who were already examining the crime scene. Nagito was the first person to notice that I had arrived. "Akira-kun, I'm glad you're here," he waved me over, "I need someone to help me out with a little experiment." Upon hearing his words I noticed that the other three cringed a little. And right then I knew that this "experiment" was something that I probably wouldn't like that much.

"Um, sure I guess?" I replied uneasily. "What is it you need me to do exactly, Komaeda-kun?"

He smiled and then pointed down at one of the body outlines on the floor. "Could you do me a favor and lay right here for me?"

My eyes widened in shock. "Um…why do I need to do that exactly?"

"Because I want to determine the gender of the other bodies that were found here. I figured if we knew all the genders of the other students who died here we might be able to narrow down the list of suspects for Hajime-kun's killer. So I thought the best way to do that would be by comparing body types. I asked the others to help me but they all declined, weak stomachs I guess."

"Are you sure that's going to help us?" I asked with unease. I didn't really want to do it either.

"It couldn't hurt right? But if you want I guess I could lie down and you could compare. I would've been happy to be the tester myself, I just needed assistance," he said to the others.

"I guess…that might help a little. Okay, lie down and I'll check how you compare." Nagito nodded and then crouched down and lied on the floor in the same way the body was found in. Then I walked over towards him and judged how his body fit into the tape line, and I noticed that he was slightly taller than the person who was found there, and his arms and legs were longer as well as his hair. "No, you don't match up. The person who was here was shorter than you."

"Really?" Nagito asked as he sat up. I offered him my hand to help him back up onto his feet and he took it graciously. He dusted off his pants and then stared at the body outline. "So it might be a female?"

"Or just a shorter guy," I said discrediting his claim. "Look it was a nice idea, but I don't think it's going to help much," I said as I looked around at all the other body outlines in the room. "We don't have any of the suspects' body measurements so there's no way we can properly compare, especially not with all of these outlines. According to Monokuma there's twenty-six suspects in all."

"See I told you, you moronic dog boy, it's a stupid waste of time," said Nodaka.

"Hey don't get so mad at him, he's just trying to help," Micho replied.

"No she's right, I don't know what I was thinking. Knowing who the eight people who died in here exactly were isn't going to help at all," said Nagito.

"Wait, eight people?" Soshun repeated. "I thought twenty-six people died, and the last two were Hajime Hinata and his killer."

"Yeah, that's what Monokuma said," I added.

"No, remember what he said exactly. He kept all twenty-eight students locked up in here for a whole week until eight of them died. Then after that he just said that eighteen of them committed suicide, I don't think he ever technically said it was in this room. And look at the body outlines…" Nagito said. I looked around the room and counted them, there were only a total of eight. "There's only eight. What if the students who committed suicide didn't do it in this room? What if they did it somewhere else in the school?"

"That would explain why Monokuma told us to check the whole school. We must have just gotten confused because both the eight students and Hinata-kun were killed in this room," Micho replied. "Perhaps, we've confused what we thought was a chain of events with what's really three different events. The first event in this room, the second event somewhere else, and the last event in this room again."

"Hmm, if that is the case then we really should check everywhere in the academy and not just focus on this one room. If we find the location where the other students committed suicide then we might be able to eliminate a few of the suspects," Soshun explained.

"Wow, dog boy really did figure out something worthwhile," Nodaka said in surprise.

"Well what do you know? I guess even worthless trash like me has its days," Nagito replied with a large smile.

'Huh, that really is a major breakthrough. It might be good to make a note of that for later,' I thought.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BODY OUTLINES

"But I wonder, did Mikan-chan die here? Or did she commit suicide somewhere else? Or maybe she's…?" Nagito trailed off as he gained a sad look on his face.

"Since we know what we should be looking for now, someone should go and tell the others," said Micho.

Nagito's smile returned and he nodded in agreement. "I'll go tell the others, you guys keep investigating the crime scene in case you find something else." And then he left the classroom and ran off with a new sense of determination.

'I hope we can find out what happened to his friend and the others,' I thought to myself. I pushed away my other thoughts and decided to get back to investigating the classroom. As I looked around I noticed details of the room that I didn't take note of when I was there before. The overhead lights were flickering continuously and several desks were pushed and thrown up against the walls, some had old blood stains on them and others were broken. There was also several slash marks on the walls as well as the chalkboard, and there was also a few messages written on the chalkboard, some were written in multicolored chalk, some in scratches, and a few even in blood. One bloody message read:

 _Abandon all hope ye who enter here_

"That doesn't bode well," Soshun said as he caught me looking at the message. I looked at him with a questioning look. "It's from Dante's _Inferno_ ," he explained, "An epic poem about a hero named Dante who travels to hell and experiences the nine circles of hell. That inscription was written at the entrance of hell as a warning for Dante, I guess it's meant here as a warning to us."

"Huh, you're really smart Murasame-kun," I said.

He shook his head, "Not really, I just read a lot. I thought reading _Inferno_ would be a great way to learn Italian and Latin to pass the time."

"Wait, you read that book in Italian and Latin?"

"Yeah," he said with shrugged shoulders, "What's the point of reading a great work like that if you don't read it in the way it was meant to be read in? It was no big deal, it only took me about a month to learn the languages fully."

"You learned two languages in only a month?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah, I would've finished sooner but my teachers wouldn't let me read in class so I ditched my homework and study time so I could read then."

'He's an unorthodox genius. I think I'm starting to get why he was picked to come to Hope's Peak academy, still not sure about his talent though,' I thought as I smiled at him and sweatdropped. Then I looked back at the chalkboard and read off some of the other messages on the board. One message was neat and well-written and appeared to be a list of some sort. This is what it read:

 _Here lies the final resting place of eight beloved students and friends who gave their lives to save us. They will forever be in our hearts._

 _R.I.P_

 _Hi_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank first part of last name)_ _a_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _K_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

 _(blank first part of first name)_ _n_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _(blank first part of last name)_ _a_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _(blank first name)_

 _K_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _A_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

 _M_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

 _(blank first part of first name)_ _i_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _N_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _(blank first part of first name)_ _e_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

There were erasing marks all over the list, apparently something was written here that someone didn't want to be seen. "R.I.P. Rest in peace! It's a memoriam stupid, don'tcha know anything?" That voice. We all turned to see that Monokuma had suddenly appeared. He ran up to the chalkboard and grabbed a pointer stick so he could point at chalkboard and draw all our attention to the list.

"What are you doing here?!" Micho exclaimed.

"Get lost, we don't want to talk to you anymore!" Nodaka shouted.

"I'd take her hint and get out of here if I were you," Soshun added.

"What are you talking about, what memoriam?" I asked out of curiosity. I didn't really want to talk to him either but I was curious about this list.

"Ooh, one out of four ain't bad. I was just here to give you a little hint and since one of you seems to be interested I'll go ahead and deliver," said Monokuma. He pointed to the list. "This here is a list of the eight students who died in this room, as you can see someone took an eraser to it and only left certain letters in the names. I wonder who did that?" he asked rhetorically as he chuckled.

"You did it, didn't you?" I asked as I glared at him.

"Maybe," he replied in a mocking tone, "Or maybe it was one of the twenty students who escaped and fled into the academy."

"So we were right? The eighteen students who committed suicide didn't kill themselves in this room?" Micho asked, now also curious.

"Nope, they died somewhere else. After all was said and done, they couldn't bear to come into this room any longer. They left that message behind and then left. But their freedom and gratefulness to be alive was short lived as they soon learned there was no getting out of the academy either. The eight students who died in here were the lucky ones, the others were forced to slowly go insane in the academy until their guilt broke them and one by one, they slit their wrists, hung themselves, overdosed, committed hara-kiri, you know the usual suicide business. Meanwhile, I just kicked back with a nice cold drink and watched the events unfold. And I laughed and laughed and laughed at all their misery and despair. Now we're at round two kiddies, are you all going to choke under the pressure the same way?" Monokuma asked with a mischievous chuckle.

"You…you monster, damn you! Damn you to hell!" I exclaimed and then rushed at him. But before I could hit him my arms were pulled back by Soshun and Nodaka. "Let me go, let me go dammit!" I shouted.

"Stop it, you damn idiot!" Nodaka shouted. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you!"

"It's not worth it! You saw what he did to Yasuke, he'll wipe the floor with you!" Soshun exclaimed.

I took a few deep breaths and calmed down and then stopped struggling, allowing Nodaka and Soshun to let me go. "Yikes, Akira-kun is scary. I've got to get out of here now before he goes nuts, see yah suckers!" Monokuma exclaimed and then he left the room laughing.

I frowned and looked back at the memoriam on the chalk board. "We will avenge you. I swear it." The others surrounded me and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we'll make sure that Monokuma gets what's coming to him," said Soshun.

"Just don't fly off the handle again cockroach boy, next time I might not be around to save your ass," Nodaka said snidely.

"We've got to keep cool heads, remember messing with us is part of his game," Micho added.

"You guys are right, I'm sorry and thanks for having my back," I replied.

"Don't sweat it," Soshun said with a smile.

"Next time it will cost you, I don't have a contract with you after all," said Nodaka.

"Let's get back to investigating, I know we can win if we work together," said Micho.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MEMORIAM LIST

I looked around the room and then I saw something in a nearby corner that caught my eye. It was very small but it was shiny so I was able to make it out even in the dimly lit room. I crouched down onto the floor and then picked it up. I examined it carefully as I held it in my hand. It appeared to be some odd type of clip-on earring. The clip and handle of the earring appeared to be sterling silver and the base of it was a small green orb that had a black, dog-shaped paw print on it. Micho noticed that I was looking at something and looked over my shoulder. "Found something?" she asked.

"It's a weird earring, but it seems familiar. I think I've seen it recently," I replied.

"It should look familiar, don't you remember? That's "his" earring. The Ultimate Animal Breeder, Gundham Tanaka, remember?" Soshun asked.

"Gundham Tanaka? Wasn't he one of the suspects?" Nodaka asked.

"Yeah that's where we saw the earring from. He was wearing it on his right ear in his picture on Monokuma's game show board," Soshun replied.

I thought back to the game show board of suspects that Monokuma had shown us earlier. 'Gundham Tanaka? Oh yeah, I do remember!' I turned the earring over in my hand and examined it. "Yeah, this was Tanaka-kun's earring," I said in agreement. "I knew I had seen it somewhere before, it makes sense that it would have a paw print on it since he was the Ultimate Animal Breeder."

"But that's really weird, why would something like that be in a place like this?" Nodaka asked.

"Maybe it's because Gundham was one of the eight original victims. And after he died it was left behind," Soshun replied.

"Then that means it's probably worthless, we should probably just forget about it and keep looking," Micho said as she went back to her search for clues.

I continued to stare at the earring and then I decided to take it. 'I know it's probably wrong to keep it, but who knows it might be an important clue? And I think someone should hold onto it for Gundham's sake,' I thought to myself. Then I pocketed the earring and went back to my search for clues.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: GUNDHAM'S HELL HOUND EARRING

As I got up onto my feet again I noticed Nodaka looking at the iron plates on the windows. She appeared to be in the process of testing their durability and seeing if they would come off. She grabbed one of the plates by the top corners and then pulled back at the plate with all of her might, even going so far as to press her foot against the wall for leverage. She huffed and puffed but no matter how hard she pulled it appeared she could not pry the iron plate off the window. It was screwed on too tight for even the mighty Nodaka's broad force. I harmlessly snickered at the sight, which was a big mistake. She stopped pulling at the iron plate and shot an icy glare at me. "What's so Goddamn funny cockroach boy?"

I immediately gulped and replied, "Nothing, say are you trying to pry off the iron plates?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"Trying and failing, the sons of bitches are screwed on tight. It looks like we're really stuck in here until we solve this mystery. But I haven't had any luck on that end so far, how's your investigation going? Probably haven't found out squat, right?" Nodaka asked with a snicker.

"I wouldn't say that," I replied with an added sweatdrop. "And I'm sure if you keep looking you'll find something worthwhile."

"I hope so, even dog boy's got the one up on me now. I can't have that imbecile be above me." She looked back at the plates and then she narrowed her eyes on the one in front of her. "Huh, that's funny. I didn't even notice that."

"What is it?" I asked out of curiosity.

She pointed to the top left bolt on the iron plate. "There's blood on the bolt, see?"

I looked closer and then I saw it. There was a tiny blood smear on the bolt's upper edge, like someone had tried to wipe it away. "Yeah, I do see it. And it's bright pink too, which means it couldn't have happened too long ago."

"All the blood in here besides that kid Hinata's is old and dark red. Do you think it's related to his murder?" Then she clicked her tongue. "Wait, what am I asking you for? There's no way a dimwit like cockroach boy has all the answers. I'll investigate this myself, your services are no longer needed. Buh-bye," she waved me off like it was nothing.

"Um, okay hope your investigation goes well," I replied with a sort of melancholic tone.

"Likewise," she said with a smile. I couldn't figure her out, she was just too dynamic a character.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BOLT BLOOD SMEAR

Then I sighed and looked at Hajime's body. I couldn't put it off any longer, there was nothing left to look at in the room. I had to get a closer look at the body and check out the areas specified in the Monokuma File. Wordlessly, I crouched down and tried my best to remain calm as I stared at Hajime's eyes. I slowly extended two fingers and pulled down his eyelids over his eyes as a sign of respect. "Rest in peace, Hinata-kun. I swear, we'll find out who did this to you," I whispered. Then I took another deep breath and got to work. 'Okay the Monokuma File said that the cause of death was the blood loss from multiple stab wounds to the abdomen,' I thought as I observed that Hajime's abdomen had several bloody stab wounds on it. 'That seems about right. And there's also several scars on his arms just like it's mentioned in the Monokuma File.' I hesitated before I rolled up his pants' leg cuffs to observe the scars there. 'Same on the legs too just like in the Monokuma File.' And then I saw the scuffs mentioned in the file on Hajime's shirt and pants, they appeared to be caused by dirt and almost looked like stamp prints. 'Could that mean someone stepped on him?'

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: POSSIBLE STAMP PRINTS

Then I looked up at Hajime's forehead and saw that he had a nasty gash going across it. 'The Monokuma File mentioned that Hajime received a blow to the head which was most likely caused during a struggle. That blow looks like it could have knocked him out. Is that how the killer got him on the floor, or maybe…' I didn't know what to think. I figured I should just record it and discuss it later during the class trial. Maybe someone else would be able to make something of it.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: HAJIME'S BODY

"Huh? What's that? There's something bulging under his shirt?" I said to myself.

"You noticed it too, huh?" I looked up and saw that Micho had appeared on the opposite side of Hajime's body. "I figured whatever he was hiding might be an important clue but um…" she trailed off. I got it, she was too afraid to reach in and see what it was.

"I'll do it, don't worry about it." I took a deep breath and then reached up under Hajime's shirt, his bare skin felt ice cold to the touch but I powered through it and reached for the bulging object. "Almost there, got it." Then I fished out the mysterious object, which was revealed to be a scrap of paper.

"Weird. Why do you think he had that on him?" Micho asked. "What's it say?"

I carefully unfolded it and then read the contents. It said three words.

 _I'm sorry Hajime._

"I'm sorry Hajime," I read aloud. "That's all."

"Hmm, do you think it could have been left by the killer?" Micho asked.

"That seems really likely, I doubt Hajime would write a note addressed to himself," I replied.

"Then we should probably keep it, it might help us later on."

"Alright, but you take it," I handed the note to Micho. "It's probably safer in your hands. I might accidentally tear it or something."

Micho looked at me with sad eyes. "Are you sure? He was your friend, right?"

"Yeah, that's actually the main reason I don't want to keep it," I replied as I frowned.

Micho sighed. "Okay, I'll hang onto it…for now." Micho took the note from my hand and then stuffed it up her sweater sleeve. "But let me know if you change your mind."

I smiled at her a little. "Thanks, Auruka-san."

She smiled at me. "Don't mention it."

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: KILLER'S APOLOGY NOTE

"Alright, I think that's it for this area. Where to next?" I asked myself.

* * *

A/N: Okay, hope this gets you guys interested. I promise I'll have the two reaming parts updated as a double post, most likely by the end of the week. Look forward to it.


	9. Prologue, Part 7

A/N: Alright here's part two of the investigation, this will incorporate some memorable locations from the first game so I hope you guys enjoy. And remember to keep track of each clue mentioned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 7: Clues, clues, clues, and more clues**

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:12 AM

0:48:00 REMAINING

The next area I decided to check was the botanical garden. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary save for the fact that a few security cameras and monitors had appeared since I had last been there, and the large glass dome that let sunlight in from above had changed into an iron-like dome that was crudely painted to resemble the daytime sky. Upon entering the botanical garden I noticed that someone else was already there. Shiro was busy inspecting a large carnivorous-looking plant in the back of the garden. I called out to him, "Hey, Shirobane-kun?!" But he didn't respond. Confused, I walked closer to him and called out again. Still no response. "Hey Shirobane-kun, can you hear me?!"

This time he stirred. "Who's there?" he asked as he turned around.

I was confused at the question. "It's me, Shirobane-kun."

"Me? I don't know any me's. Do you mean Mi-chan because you don't sound like her?" I didn't know whether he was trying to be funny or if he was just tired but he really acted like he didn't know me. Desperate for some sort of response from him I told him who I was. "No, it's me, Akira Maita? We met a little while ago, remember?"

His eyes widened and he motioned for me to come over to him. "Oh, Aki-chan! Have you found anything out yet?" he asked.

At first I was taken back at the way he addressed me and his original lack of response but I soon pushed those concerns aside and settled on the concern that we were pressed for time. And then I nodded in reply to his question. "Me and the others discovered a few things at the crime scene, have you been to see it yet?"

His face went white and he looked at the ground. "Um…I don't think I'll be able to go in there. There's just too many bad sensations, you know? So I decided to go and search other areas for clues."

"Well did Komaeda-kun show up here? He said he was going to go tell everyone what we found out about the students who committed suicide," I explained.

"Yeah, Nagi-chan showed up a little while ago. He told me that the students who committed suicide didn't die in classroom 5-C like the others did, they died somewhere else in the academy," Shiro replied.

"Yeah, that's probably the reason why Monokuma told us to search everywhere. So have you found any clues in here?" I asked.

Shiro shook his head. "Not really, all I found was things you'd normally expect to find in a garden. Flowers, weeds, pots, soil, fertilizer…you know gardening stuff. And there was also a shed full of gardening tools and a chicken coop," he said as he summarized his investigation of the botanical garden.

"A chicken coop?" I repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, there were five chickens inside and they looked and sounded like they were getting hungry so I fed them some of the feed I found in the shed. And that's when I noticed this humongous plant," he motioned to the large, carnivorous-looking plant behind him. "I've been to the gardening club here before but I've never seen a plant quite like this one. It must be a new addition."

"Yeah, that plant really is something. I wonder what kind of species it is anyway," I said aloud as I stared at the plant in obscurity.

"It's called a Monoplant," Shiro replied.

"Monoplant?" I repeated, and then I imagined Monokuma's face on the carnivorous plant. "Well the malicious feel it gives off does sort of remind me of Monokuma." Then I chuckled, "I've got to hand it to you Shirobane-kun, that's actually a pretty good name."

"No, that's what it's really called," Shiro replied. "Monokuma appeared earlier and told me all about it. He said that there was a student with the title of Ultimate Botanist who made this plant using genetic cross-breeding."

"Ultimate Botanist? I've never heard of anyone with that title before," I said.

"Yeah me neither, but Monokuma just said that it was none of my business and that I shouldn't get too close to it unless I wanted to end up being its breakfast. Then he just ran off suddenly."

"Yeah, I'm starting to notice that he does that a lot."

"Well maybe the Ultimate Botanist is one of those special students like Soshi-chan and Izu-chan? You know, a person with a talent so great that they must remain a secret to everyone else?"

I sweatdropped at his nicknames for Soshun and Izuru and replied, "Um, yeah I guess?" Then I looked over to the nearby shed. "Hey are you sure you searched everywhere in the shed? Remember, Monokuma said that he personally hid a few clues to make them harder for us to find?"

"I didn't see anything that seemed out of the ordinary, except for a pick axe," Shiro explained.

"A pick axe?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, at first I thought it was weird too but then I figured that the gardening club might have used it for breaking up soil and stuff like that, so I just decided to leave it alone and not mess with it."

"Can you show me?" I asked.

"Sure, follow me," Shiro said as he led me to the shed and opened the door. "See? There it is." Shiro pointed to the back of the shed and I saw that there was indeed an old-looking pick axe. I hesitated before walking into the shed to get a better look at it. "Careful, it might be some kind of trap," Shiro warned me.

I looked at the pick axe with a sense of morbid curiosity and then something about it caught the corner of my eye. There was an engraving on the handle. I carefully turned the pick axe to the side so I could read the engraving. This is what it read:

 _Crazy Diamond_

And then I saw the tiniest drop of blood on the underside of the handle. It was easy for Shiro to have overlooked it, it was only about the size of a thumbtack and it was so old that it had turned a dark red to match the brown color of the wooden handle. Then I examined the spike part of the pick axe and saw that there was also old blood in the crevice that connected the handle and spike as well. That got me thinking terrible thoughts. 'This pickaxe was used for something bloody quite some time ago. Could it be, another murder weapon? But if that's the case, then what's it doing in here? And that engraving, _Crazy Diamond_ , I feel like I've heard that somewhere else before.' There was definitely something odd about this pick axe, maybe it was somehow related to the Hajime's case?

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: PICK AXE

"Do you see anything?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah, there's tiny traces of old blood on it. But they're really tiny so it's not surprising that you didn't see them before," I replied.

"Blood? You think it's related to Haji-chan's murder?" Shiro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Haji-chan? You mean Hajime Hinata, right?" I asked.

"Yeah Haji-chan," he replied. "Wasn't his cause of death exsanguination due to stabs to the abdomen? Maybe this pick axe is what stabbed him?"

"No, I don't think it was the pick axe. If you tried to use that to stab someone you would probably end up drilling a hole into them instead, or even ripping them in half. We're most likely looking for some kind of knife."

"Well if the pick axe isn't related to Haji-chan's murder then why does it have blood on it? You think it might've been used in the other classroom murders? Or maybe even one of the other student's suicides?"

"One thing's for sure. There's way too many questions surrounding this pick axe, we should keep it in mind while we continue to investigate. Now think, Shiro did you see anything else that seemed odd while you were here? Anything at all, even the tiniest detail?" I asked.

Shiro stroked his chin as he thought about his investigation so far and then after a few moments he cocked his head to the side and scratched the back of his neck with his hand. "Well, it's probably nothing but I did see a set of footprints in one of the soil patches in the back of the garden."

"Footprints?" I asked. "Can you show me?"

"Yeah sure, let's go." We ran out of the shed and then Shiro led me to the very back of the botanical garden. There was a freshly laid out patch of soil that had yet to be used to plant anything, but there was something sticking out of the soil, footprints just like Shiro said. They appeared to be headed in the direction of a small mound under a tree at the end of the soil patch where the dirt seemed loose and uneven. I would say this qualified as the very definition of peculiar, yet Shiro didn't think to do any kind of follow-up?

"Does it look odd?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah," I replied. "It does seem odd that someone would intentionally walk through the soil when there's a walkway already laid out. And then there's that mound, I think whoever came in here might've been trying to bury something quickly and in the process they forgot to cover their tracks."

"Mound?" Shiro repeated.

"Yeah, didn't you see it? The footprints lead up to a little mound, see?" I pointed to the mount at the end of the footprints.

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise and he gained an embarrassed expression on his face. "Oh yeah, so there is. I must have just overlooked it, sorry Aki-chan."

"Um, don't sweat it?" I said in an unsure way. Shiro seemed like a nice guy but maybe he was just a tad bit of an airhead. Then I looked back at the footprints. 'But this seems like it might be a valuable clue so I guess I should give him credit for that,' I thought to myself.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: FOOTPRINTS

I stepped into the soil patch and made sure to walk around the footprints as to not destroy any evidence. And then I crouched down to the mound and started to move the dirt and uncover whatever was buried under the mound. Then after a few more moments of digging I found the buried object. "Just like I thought, whoever was here before was trying to bury something," I said aloud.

"Well what is it?" Shiro asked.

I pulled the object out of the ground and examined it carefully. It appeared to be a small hand-made wooden box. "It's some kind of box," I said as I held the wooden box up in the air so Shiro could see it. Then I held the box up close to my ear and shook it a little to find out if anything was inside. I heard a faint rattling coming from inside. I saw that there was a tiny latch meant to serve as a lock on the side. Then I hesitated before lifting up the latch and opening the box. And inside was something unexpected and frightening, inside the box was a dead animal. I uttered a small scream and dropped the box on the ground below, which caused the contents of the box to spill out and land in the dirt. Shiro saw it as well and he took a step back just like I did.

"Oh crap, we've desecrated a burial site!" he exclaimed. "We're going to get cursed!"

I took a few deep breaths and tried to get over the shock of seeing another dead life form for the second time that day before I bent down and grabbed the box again. And then I slowly and carefully scooped up the dead animal with the box and then closed it up and buried it again. Then Shiro helped me cover up the hole the box was buried in, and we made it just like it was before we disturbed it. Hopefully, that would spare us from being cursed.

Shiro's face was still pale though. "That…that just happened, right?" Shiro asked. "We dug up a dead body by accident? Please tell me that I'm wrong, I don't want grave robbing to be on my conscious."

"It…it was an honest mistake. And we put everything back just the way we found it, its fine," I said, although my face was just a pale as his was. We disturbed a burial site, which was definitely not a good thing. With all the craziness that had happened today I forgot that things buried in the ground were sometimes supposed to be there. "And we're not grave robbers. It's not like we took anything from it."

"Somebody say something about grave robbing?" that all too familiar voice asked. Shiro and I turned around to see that Monokuma had appeared, and he was carrying a large stone by the looks of it. "Two teenage boys talking about something as creepy as grave robbing gives me the jitters. I know you're at that experimental age but there's a certain line to keep in mind. I mean necrophilia? Even a sicko like me thinks that's down right disgusting."

"We didn't mean anything by it!" Shiro exclaimed. "We didn't consider that anything else besides a clue was down there, please don't tell the others!"

"Well next time use your heads for crying out loud!" Monokuma exclaimed. Monokuma walked up to the mound while carrying the large rock. "News flash, sometimes things buried in the ground should remain buried. Don't be disturbing dead bodies when they're put to rest. The rule is that you can only play with them when they're above ground," Monokuma said as he laid the rock behind the mound. "Playing with dead things after that is a good way to catch a disease."

"I'm pretty sure that's wrong. Like way wrong," I said as I shook my head.

"What? Come on? Don't tell me you've never once thought about what it's like to touch something that doesn't have a pulse? There's tons of cultures around the world who do that you know? It's not like its anything other worldly. Animals in the wild eat dead animals all the time, and some humans do it too. It's what I like to call the Circle of Death. Not even a little bit of _beyond_ morbid curiosity? No? You're no fun."

"What are you here for anyway? Another hint?" I asked.

"What, you think I'm going to follow you punks around all day? No dummy, that's what I had the cameras installed for! I'm just here to pay my respects." Monokuma turned to the mound and then got on his knees and folded his paws together. "Here lies Jum-P, the last remaining Dark Deva of Destruction. He was a good pet. I personally found the damn thing disgusting but that Gundham Tanaka boy and its caretaker after Tanaka's demise seemed to think it was cute. Even though their remains may be in different locations hopefully their spirits will reunite with animal boy, wherever he may have been sent, which in his case was probably the underworld, that half-demon brat. Amen. Just kidding, I know you're not there. I'm talking to myself right now while these two boys just listen and feel appalled. Amen. Again, just kidding no one's on the other side. There is no fucking after life! When you die you die, plain and simple. And after that just comes rot and then the Circle of Death. Am…you know what I'm not even going to say it again, I might laugh furiously if I do and at a funeral that's just disrespectful. I'll save my laughter for when I'm alone. So in conclusion, hasta la vista you dumb hamster may you rot in the ground forever more." Then he got up and turned around to look at us. "Well, what did you think of my eulogy? It was just something I slapped together at the last minute but I think that overall it was pretty good."

Shiro and I didn't so much as utter a word until finally I found the words I wanted to say. "You little monster, does your depravity know no bounds?"

"You've only know me for about an hour. Just wait and see, soon we'll be spending a lot more time together. You may find me shocking now but soon the depravity will become like second nature to you. As will death, you'll come to embrace that too. You think seeing a hamster's dead body is scary? Wait until you see one of your friends' dead bodies. That goes double for you theatre boy, you try any of that glib musical and comedy shit in my house and I'll knock your fucking teeth in! This is a house of F'n tragedy son and I'ma keep it that way, ya dig?!" Monokuma said, trying to sound like he was some hardcore gangster. "Monokuma out bitches, peace!" And then he scurried off again, leaving Shiro and I confused.

I couldn't help but feel sickened each time I talked to that robot bear. But then again he was just a face, a cartoonish figment that you could just pile under crazy. The real scary thing was thinking about what kind of person was controlling him. Meeting that person was what terrified me the most. Whoever they were they had little to no remorse and were able to make such light of a tragic thing like death. It was someone who truly thought of living things as nothing but toys for them to play with. A sick individual indeed. 'Could Hope's Peak Academy really be behind the creation of such a monster?' I asked myself.

I saw out of the corner of my eye that Shiro was staring at the mound where the hamster, Jum-P, was now resting again. He crouched down and then folded his hands to pray. "Don't mind him. He's an awful person who doesn't believe in anything but violence, death, and misery. I know for a fact that there is an afterlife, you're free now, free of this horrible place and that horrible bear. Go be with your owner, Gun-chan, again. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Rest in peace, little furry friend. Aki-chan and I promise, we won't ever dig you or anyone else up ever again. Amen." After that he got up off his knees and brushed off the dirt that got onto his blue jeans. Then Shiro turned and said to me. "Well I guess we can strike one suspect off the list, right?"

"Eh?" I replied in confusion.

"Gun-chan, he can't be Haji-chan's killer. Monokuma said so himself, remember? Gun-chan's dead, and so are his hamsters, the four Dark Devas of Destruction."

"Gun-chan? Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder?" My thoughts drifted back to the earring that I found in the bloody classroom.

Flashback: _I turned the earring over in my hand and examined it. "Yeah, this was Tanaka-kun's earring," I said in agreement. "I knew I had seen it somewhere before, it makes sense that it would have a paw print on it since he was the Ultimate Animal Breeder."_

" _But that's really weird, why would something like that be in a place like this?" Nodaka asked._

" _Maybe it's because Gundham was one of the eight original victims. And after he died it was left behind," Soshun replied._

" _Then that means it's probably worthless, we should probably just forget about it and keep looking," Micho said as she went back to her search for clues._

 _I continued to stare at the earring and then I decided to take it. 'I know it's probably wrong to keep it, but who knows it might be an important clue. And I think someone should hold onto it for Gundham's sake,' I thought to myself. Then I pocketed the earring and went back to my search for clues._

'Another clue relating to him? Wait a second, Monokuma did intend to give us a hint. His bad eulogy was the hint. Gundham is clear, he couldn't be Hajime's killer because he's already dead,' I thought to myself.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA'S TESTIMONY

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: GUNDHAM TANAKA

I smiled in satisfaction. "Alright, that's one down and twenty-six more to go." Then I frowned when I realized how hopeless that sounded. "This is going to be tough. We've got to find more clues and clear more suspects or else we'll end up just like them."

"No need to worry, Aki-chan. We can do it, we figured out a couple of things already and with all of us working together we'll be able to solve this mystery for sure. Now I think I've exhausted looking for clues in this place, I'm going to go check somewhere else. See ya later Aki-chan." Shiro waved me off and then he ran out of the botanical garden.

"He's right, I've got to stay positive. One suspect down means that we're getting somewhere. We've just got to grind our noses to the stone and keep at it. Alright, time to look for more clues."

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:16 AM

0:44:00 REMAINING

The next spot I thought to check was that beautiful archery dojo I had passed by before. Unlike, the botanical garden it hadn't changed at all. Even the indoor sakura trees were still in full bloom and were dropping thousands of petals on the archery course. And I was delighted to see that someone else was also there looking into things, Azami. Well not really looking into things so much as she was dancing in the falling sakura petals. She looked like she was having a lot of fun, she twirled around and around to nonexistent music as the sakura petals floated along in the nonexistent breeze, making it almost seem like she was dancing in pair with them.

"Um, hi Jagaimo-chan," I called out to her in the name she said she liked for boys to use. "What are you up too?" I asked as I hid a chuckle at the scene she was making.

Then she noticed I was there and waved me over with a big smile. "Myo-kun, you're just in time hebi! Come play with Jagaimo-chan hebi! She used to love running around in the sakuras when she was younger hebi! Good memories block out bad thoughts hebi!"

"Myo?" I repeated. I didn't know what she thought was so mysterious about me but I shrugged it off and accepted it because so far every single one of her nicknames had been dead on accurate. "Sorry I can't, I'm busy looking for clues," I replied with a sweatdrop. "And I hate to spoil your fun but shouldn't you be doing the same thing Jagaimo-chan? We've got less than an hour until the class trial starts, you know?"

Azami puffed up her cheeks and then stamped her feet on the floor like she was a little kid throwing a temper tantrum over not having her way. "Aww, but Jagaimo-chan wants to play hebi! She wants to play hebi! All this thinking about blood and murder is driving Jagaimo-chan up the wall hebi! No more red anything hebi! Only pretty pink from now on hebi!"

I took her childish ramblings as a sign that she needed a break from the seriousness of the mystery. And I couldn't blame her, this was an unrealistic and impossible situation. Anyone who was completely okay with it had to be mentally insane – kind of like Izuru for instance. "Did you by any chance see the crime scene, Jagaimo-chan?"

"You shall not speak of it hebi!" she exclaimed as she plugged up her fake cat ears with her pointer fingers. "La, la, la, la hebi! Jagaimo-chan cannot hear you hebi! She cannot hear you hebi! Only peaceful and happy thoughts in her world hebi!"

'I'll take that as a yes, it must have really sacred her if she's acting like this,' I thought to myself. I didn't know her that well yet so I couldn't have known that this was how Azami always acted. She was like a little girl trapped inside of an overdeveloped high school girl's body. "Look, I know that it was horrible seeing that but we have to face facts," I said and then I sighed in exasperation. "This is reality, hardcore reality. And if we don't find out who did that to Hinata-kun then we might all end up the same way."

Azami took one of her fingers out of one of her cat ears and blinked a few times at me. Then she sighed too and replied, "You're right Myo-kun hebi. Jagaimo-chan needs to be strong and do what she can to help, but it's just…" she frowned and then looked up at me with big pouty eyes, "She's scared hebi." Then she rubbed one of her shoulders in unease. "She's really, really scared hebi."

I matched her frown and listened to her spill out her emotions.

"Whenever Jagaimo-chan ever got this scared or upset, Mother would always take her some place pretty and peaceful just like this and it would make her feel better real fast hebi. But things are different now, and now she does have a happy place but she still feels scared hebi. It's like the most scared she's ever felt hebi." Then her eyes went wide and she suddenly exclaimed, "Jagaimo-chan is a scaredy cat hebi!"

I tried desperately to cheer her up because I could tell that she wasn't going to be any help in her current state. "It's okay to feel scared, Jagaimo-chan. Heck I'm probably even more scared than you are."

That got Azami to calm down a little. "Is that the truth hebi?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was one of the first people to see Hinata-kun, remember? I had never been more scared in my whole life than as much as I was scared when I saw him like that. Time stopped completely and I dropped to my knees and screamed, and I even threw up from the horrid sight and smell."

Azami giggled a little. "That was you, Myo-kun hebi? Jagaimo-chan was wondering who lost their breakfast hebi. When she was looking around she thought it was clue, and Wataame-chan had to explain what it really was hebi."

I felt embarrassed by that comment but I was glad to see Azami smiling again.

Then she sighed in relief. "Thank you, Myo-kun hebi. Jagaimo-chan feels a lot better now hebi. She has to do something to make it up to you hebi. But what to do hebi? What to do hebi?" she asked herself as she stroked her chin. Then she looked down at the floor and started rubbing her shoulder again, showing her unease. "She guesses she could show you _that_ hebi."

" _That_? What's _that_?" I asked curiously.

She eyed me cautiously. "You know hebi? _That_ hebi," she repeated in a serious tone. And then her face blushed red. "That _thing_ under Jagaimo-chan's skirt hebi?"

It took me a few moments to fully comprehend what she meant but after I got what she was saying I immediately blushed even redder than her. "Wh-What are you saying, Jagaimo-chan?!" I exclaimed.

"Myo-kun seems like a nice boy hebi. And the way you act, Myo-kun, you seem like you might be interested in seeing it hebi. Jagaimo-chan wouldn't really mind if she showed it to you, but you can't tell anyone else about it hebi. So does Myo-kun want to see hebi?" she asked as her face blushed even redder.

"I…I…I…I…I…" I was stuck in an endless loop. I knew what she meant, I knew exactly what she meant but I just couldn't bring myself to really believe it. I was expecting her any second to laugh at me and say " _hahaha_ , it was a joke pervy Myo-kun hebi" or something like that but she never uttered those words. She just continued to stare at me with those big, purple, innocent-looking eyes of hers. It was almost like she really was a kitten, her stare was absolutely impossible to resist. Then she started to come closer and closer to me until finally she was only a few centimeters away from my face. I could see my worried eyes reflected back in her captivating purple ones. It felt like my heart was about pop out of my chest it was beating so fast. There was so much heat going to my face that I thought I might actually collapse from heat stroke. And as I blushed her blush grew ever bigger in reply.

"Yo-You're a nice person Myo-kun, Jag-Jagaimo-chan doesn't mind if you see it. If you want y-you could even touch it." I didn't know what do, it was very clear at this point that she wasn't joking. My mind was beginning to go blank, I could feel my instincts starting to take over. Azami smelled really nice, like cinnamon, and her chest was wagging back and forth in front of me as she was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet in unease. I may have been a loner but I was still a man, dammit! "She really wants to show it to you hebi. You might be able to do things better than her hebi. Please Myo-kun, say that you'll look at it."

I gulped really loudly and then I nodded fast in embarrassment. "Okay, yes." I gave up trying to fight it. "I'd really like to see…what's under your skirt, Jagaimo-chan." I nearly chocked getting that sentence out.

Azami took a step back and she nodded as well. And then she slowly reached for the lower rim of her accordion plead skirt and then took a deep inhale and slowly lifted it up. But before anything could happen I looked away. "I've changed my mind, I can't do this I just can't!"

"You can't hebi? But you said you would, Myo-kun hebi," she said in that childish voice of hers. "Can you just look at it hebi? Jagaimo-chan didn't want to show it to Wataame-chan and the others on the off chance that it might not be a valuable clue hebi." That brought me back to my senses.

I turned back to face Azami and saw that she was now holding an object in her hands. It was dark blue in color and appeared to be made of some kind of leather, and there was also a string on the end of it with a small Monokuma head-shaped pendant. When I got a closer look at it, the object appeared to be a bookmark. "Um, Jagaimo-chan where did you get that?" I asked her.

"Jagaimo-chan found it in here hebi," she replied as she pointed to an open dojo locker. "She was checking the lockers to see if there might be anything inside but she didn't find anything except for some archery equipment and this hebi. Do you think it might be a good clue hebi? Jagaimo-chan doesn't want to disappoint anybody hebi."

I blinked a few times in confusion. "And um, when you said you wanted me to look at the thing under your skirt you were talking about this?" I asked while pointing at the bookmark.

Azami nodded in reply, "Yes of course hebi. What did you think Jagaimo-chan was talking about hebi?" she asked as she cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"And where exactly, were you keeping that bookmark under you skirt?" I asked in confusion.

She giggled and replied way too bluntly, "Inside Jagaimo-chan's panties silly hebi. Where else would she keep it hebi? She's wearing a skirt without any pockets and her shirt doesn't have any pockets either hebi." She smiled innocently, like a little kid would do when they've done something bad but don't realize it.

"In…your…panties?" I slowly repeated. I wanted to tell her that she was an unbelievable moron but before I could snap I took a deep breath and then calmly asked her, "Did it ever occur to you to keep it in your sock instead or even just hold onto it with your actual hands?"

"No way, Jagaimo-chan's feet get really sweaty so the clue would've become dirty if she stored it there hebi. And if she kept it in her hands she would've eventually put it down somewhere and forgotten all about it hebi. Jagaimo-chan figured the safest place for it would be in her panties so that's where she decided to keep it hebi. And look Jagaimo-chan was smart in thinking that way because she didn't lose it or anything hebi. Jagaimo-chan's pretty resourceful don't you think hebi?"

Words could not describe her bizarre way of thinking. 'I'm sorry for ever thinking that Shiro was an airhead, Azami takes the cake in that department,' I thought to myself as I matched her innocent smile. 'I ended up getting all worked up for nothing.' And yet strangely I felt unsatisfied. 'Damn teenage hormones.'

"So Myo-kun, do you think it's a good clue hebi?" Azami asked innocently.

"Yeah…it's a…great clue," I said as I sweatdropped. "But um…why don't you hang onto it for now?" I asked. "It's probably safer with you." Also considering where it had been stored.

Azami nodded and then saluted me. "You can count on Jagaimo-chan hebi, oh but wait before Jagaimo-chan forgets she should probably tell you that there's something written on the back of her clue hebi." She brought it closer to my face and I instinctively backed away from it. But I still managed to see what it read:

 _2F. Library. Back room archives. Cold case file #5789. Look for black binder with big 'G' on the spine._

 _A dark truth will be revealed._

"They're directions," I said aloud. "To another clue maybe?" I asked myself.

"So did Jagaimo-chan do a good job Myo-kun hebi?" Azami asked as she blushed again. She was seriously just a little kid at heart, wanting to be praised and honored for her good work.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, you did a good job Jagaimo-chan. I'll go check out the library like your clue says and you go and tell Auruka-san and the others that Shirobane-kun and I cleared one of the suspects. Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder, is already dead so he couldn't be Hinata-kun's killer."

Azami's eyes widened in surprise. "You found one already hebi? Wow, you work fast Myo-kun hebi." Then she flashed me a thumb's up. "Don't worry hebi. Jagaimo-chan will do her best too and alert Wataame-chan and the others hebi. Good luck Myo-kun hebi."

"Thanks," I replied and then Azami turned to leave the dojo but I stopped her before she could. "And Jagaimo-chan…" she turned around and looked back at me, "Maybe don't tell the others about where you were keeping that clue, or that you showed it to me, m'kay?"

Azami nodded in reply and said, "Roger hebi." And then she left, leaving me alone to wander in my thoughts.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA BOOKMARK

"That was…something…definitely something," I said to myself. "She's definitely not all there, but she seems really nice. And she did find a good clue, looks like I'm headed to the library next."

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:20 AM

0:40:00 REMAINING

I pulled open the doors to the library and then walked inside. And then I was greeted with the sight of the library being a lot more cluttered and messy than I remembered it when I saw it earlier that morning. Hundreds of books were taken off the shelves and stacked in hundreds of messy stacks that seemed to have no order what so ever. There were books stacked to the top of the ceiling, making it impossible to see where I was going. So I carefully walked through the maze of books and tried to examine the area more closely. And that's when I heard someone muttering from further inside the maze of books. I carefully navigated my way through the literary chaos and then found the only other source of life in the dusty room.

Jose was crouched down on the floor and surrounded by an entire ring of books and dusty-looking tomes. " _War and Peace_ and then _Great Expectations_? Ugh, someone please tell me how on earth Leo Tolstoy comes before Charles Dickens?! This is utter madness, what has Monokuma done to my beloved sanctuary?!" He put down the two books he was holding and then sighed and held his head down in exasperation. "Melvil Dewey would be ashamed, I can take the security cameras and the locked doors and windows but I cannot take anyone who messes with the great works of ink and paper!" Then he sighed again and picked up another book. "You're my only saving grace in this mess, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." I saw the title of the book he was holding. _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_.

He opened the book and traced his finger over each word as if he was actually absorbing the words themselves. And then every five seconds he would flip a page. "There has to be some kind of way I can deal with this mad mystery. What would you do Mr. Holmes? I'm nowhere near as qualified to handle this as you would be. I don't even know where to begin. I'm no detective, I'm just a mystery novel freak." Then he closed the book and sighed again. "It's hopeless, not one mystery novel in here has anything about this kind of case. Over twenty different suspects? There's no way we can eliminate them all. I'm better off just wallowing in the sorrow and depravity that has befallen my literary world." Then he pulled at his hair in anguish. "Ugh, curse you Monokuma, haven't you ever heard of alphabetization?!"

I knocked the back of my hand on one of the stacks of books in order to get Jose's attention. "Um, Historia-kun? Found anything yet?"

Jose slowly turned his head to face back at me and then his face immediately flushed red in embarrassment and his stutter returned as well. "Um, M-M-Maita-san? W-When di-did you get he-here?"

"Just now. You okay?" I asked

"Y-Yes, I'm fi-fine," he said with a stern nod. "Just a l-little un-unnerved about the disorganization of the li-library, that's all."

"Didn't you do all this?"

"Well yes, but you sh-should have s-seen the way it w-was before. Every sh-shelf was fi-filled with misplaced books. I cou-couldn't find anything in h-here at all."

"Well what made you think to look here in the library in the first place?"

"Togami-san," he replied.

"Togami? Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny?" I asked.

Jose nodded and stood up off the floor, and then he began to pick up the books he had on the floor and put them back onto their appropriate shelves. "Togami-san is the only one b-besides me who comes here so of-often. Whe-Whenever he's not in cl-class he's here reading. He n-never ch-checks anything out and n-never reads the sa-same thing twice."

"Whoa, I figured with a title like Ultimate Affluent Progeny he would be the snotty rich kid kind of person, not a bookworm."

Jose shook his head. "No, Togami-san's th-that way too. H-He never tal-talks to anyone and ev-every time someone tries to talks to him he b-bites their heads off w-with verbal abuse. I've e-even had the mi-misfortune of suff-suffering under his wrath. He ca-called me ple-plebian garbage and sa-said that I wasn't fit t-to tread the s-same ground as him, much less t-talk to him. B-But other than the terrible personality, h-he's a nice guy I guess." Then Jose sighed. "I can't b-believe he's really gone. I just s-saw him last week, he was t-trying to get into mystery novels just l-like me. I was ex-excited that someone had the same interests as me, e-even if they wanted n-nothing to do with me."

"So because this was one of Togami-kun's favorite places you thought you might find something noteworthy in here?"

"Yeah, but all I f-found was un-unalphabetized chaos. Not-Nothing about Togami-san or t-the other students. Do you t-think Monokuma w-was lying wh-when he said th-there were clues hi-hidden throughout the wh-whole school? Usually libraries are the f-first places to ch-check in mysteries but I h-haven't found an-anything."

I had almost forgotten why I had come there in the first place. "Oh yeah, almost forgot. Jagaimo-chan found a clue at the archery dojo upstairs. It was a weird bookmark that had directions to come here. Specific ones too. 2F. Library. Backroom archives. And then it said something about a file and that a dark truth would be revealed."

Jose stopped putting the books back for a second and then he turned around to face me again. I saw that his eyes widened with insight. "The archives, of course!" He immediately ran past me and then he quickly scurried through the book maze that he created to the other side of the library while I followed after him. Then he stopped running when he reached a small door that led to another room. "Why didn't I think of that?! Togami-san's most favorite thing to read was the things that were kept in the archives! Most students aren't allowed to even go inside but Togami-san found a way around the rules and started reading things that were in here too! I've always wanted to see the inside, and now I'll finally get my chance!" Jose exclaimed excitedly as he fidgeted with knob in a desperate attempt to open it, and then when the door was finally open he scurried inside to the small, cramped, broom cupboard size room known as the archives. Jose seemed to be amazed at the sight but all I saw was an even dustier room filled with dusty old files, cabinets, boxes, and notes. Nothing even remotely similar to a useful clue. Jose immediately ran to a shelf and picked a file at random. He gasped in excitement, "It is true, Area 51 does exist!" Then he grabbed another file, "There was another gunman on the grassy knoll!" And then another, "Holy crap, the Seven Kings are actually real?! They really do control Japan!" And another, and another, and another until he started to hyperventilate from excitement. "This knowledge…it's too incredible!"

'Okay, I think I'm starting to get why students aren't allowed in here,' I thought as I sweatdropped at the scene. "Um, Historia-kun can we get back to the matter at hand please? The bookmark Jagaimo-chan found mentioned a certain file in here."

Jose stopped his senseless banter and calmed down a little. "Oh b-but c-can't it w-wait? I h-have to record all of th-this in my j-journal, it will on-only take a few minutes. Please?!"

My sweatdrop grew and then I sighed. "Alright fine, just be quick about it."

"Hold the phone kiddies!" That damned voice again. Jose and I turned around to see that Monokuma had appeared on one of the stacks of book in the library. "Classes may be on temporary leave but this is still a school and we have rules. Granted mine are a little bit more lenient but one of mine is that all information contained in the archives is on a need to know basis. Meaning that you can't take any files out of the room and the only notes that you can take are mental ones." The maniacal teddy bear then pointed to Jose. "That goes for you especially, Mr. Historian. No taking notes of the archives' valuable information…unless of course, that information is a clue."

"So there is a clue hidden in the archives?" I asked.

"Did I say that?" Monokuma asked. "Nope, don't think so. Figure it out yourselves, just leave the Seven Kings out of it. This isn't their game, it's mine, if it were theirs we'd probably have multicolored Monokumas running around the school yammering about different ideologies. There'd be a red one who's calm and collective most of the time but can be a hothead when push comes to shove and someone harms his friends, a blue one who's always yammering about justice and morality and constantly tries to stop the red one, a gold one who's obsessed with tradition and greed and does everything he can to keep his and the others existence a secret, a silver one who's like a super genius but still causes a lot of trouble for others and manages to have a lot of fun and see the good in people, and a colorless one who just likes to cause chaos and watch the world burn from his efforts." Then Monokuma paused and started to stroke his chin in contemplation. "Although, now that I think about it that sounds like it might be a great addition to the game. A real fun cast of characters. We could call it _Danganronpa: Mono_ _ **K**_ _uma Barrage_. But on second thought, nah, the kings are supposed to live in harmony but they somehow always end up fighting each other and cause catastrophes with those huge ass swords of theirs. We can't have that kind of dilemma in our glorious kingdom of mystery, there's no room here for fantasy/sci-fi genre. Although BL is still okay I guess considering there's some of you guys out there. But as for sharing the spotlight, nope, Monokuma rides alone forevermore. No meaningless note taking and don't even think about leaving before you clean up this mess. Ciao bitches!" Monokuma exclaimed as he flashed a peace sign and ran off after uttering many more nonsensical ramblings than Jose.

"Whoa, i-is that what I so-sounded like?" Jose asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "Kind of."

He put back all the files he had read and then turned back to me. "So about that file you're looking for…"

"Thank you, I think it was file #5789. Could you check?" I asked to which Jose replied with a nod.

Jose skimmed over each shelf he came across and ran his fingers over the edges of each file as he searched for the file I needed. "5789, 5789, 5789," Jose repeated to himself as he searched for the file, and then he finally stopped when he came across a shelf of files on right side of the room. I saw out of the corner of my eye that his face had gone completely pale, just like when we were all in the gymnasium. I peered over his shoulder to see what his eyes were transfixed on and that's when I saw a black binder with the big letter 'G' on its spine just like it said in the directions on the bookmark Azami found. The 'G' was blood red in color and for some reason just staring at it filled me with a sense of unknown dread.

"It's true," Jose whispered as he stared at the shelf the file was on. "It's really true. Hope's Peak Academy has access to this kind of information as well." Jose hesitated before reaching his hand out and pulling the binder off the shelf. He took a deep breath and then he opened the binder and read the contents just as I had seen him read things before, word for word in a matter of seconds. His eyes darted back and forth with each letter that entered his mind and each trace his right pointer finger made against the pages inside. I couldn't make out the contents of the binder from the way he was holding it but I did see that a strange expression was beginning to form on Jose's face. It almost seemed like a smile. But before I could ask he handed me the binder and said, "Help yourself, hope you can handle it though," without stuttering. I hesitated before taking the binder from Jose's hands, and then I slowly opened the binder and looked at the first page of the contents. I was immediately surprised at what was written inside.

 _Genocide Jack_

 _January 16, 2014-_ _It has been almost half a year since the serial killer "Genocide Jack" appeared. And since then the entire population has been crippled with fear at the presence of the madman who targets random people at varying times of day. So far no pattern has been shown by Genocide Jack but for those few soles who read this information you are deemed worthy enough to know the basic information that we constructed for this insane and manic psychopath. So far, Genocide Jack has killed a total of five people, all male victims of varying ages ranging from students to young businessmen. So far Genocide Jack has shown little to no remorse for any of his victims, it actually almost seems like every second of sick torture he inflicts on his victims is pure pleasure for him, and this suggests that Genocide Jack is indeed mentally deranged as specified doctors and psychiatrists have concluded. Genocide Jack brutally stabs his victims with specially made scissors, which have been monikered Genoscissors, and then crucifies them to the wall where he then writes the baffling phrase "Bloodlust". Yet another example of Genocide Jack's mental instability. What he will do next is anyone's guess._

 _May 4, 2014-_ _Top profilers from across the country have come together to investigate Genocide Jack. In just four short months Genocide Jack has driven his body count to fifteen and he is steadily rising with more and more time. All the previous signatures from his M.O. have still come to pass. All the victims are males who are stabbed and then crucified with Genoscissors, and the phrase "Bloodlust"_ has made an appearance at all of the crime scenes and is always written in the victim's own blood. One thing sticks out to the profilers about this specific signature Genocide Jack shows in leaving a message at his crime scenes. The fact that he is willing to exert the time and effort to write his message in his medium of the victim's blood shows that Genocide Jack feels like some kind of bond has been forged between him and his victims through death. If this is true then that would mean that Genocide Jack has already grown past the need to kill and is now doing it solely because he views it as an enjoyable pastime. Further, the profilers have suggested that Genocide Jack's particular M.O. is the key to catching him. As such we have retracted particular details of the cases from the public and media to make sure that no one gets any bad ideas and tries to become a copycat killer. If what the profilers say is true then this may mean that Genocide Jack is not driven to compulsion like a traditional psychopath but is instead fully aware of what he is doing and is enjoying every single second of it. This detail could make him far more maniacal and deadly than any other psychopath in existence.

 _June 23, 2014-_ _We have done as the profilers have suggested and looked more into the times and locations of Genocide Jack's kills. The first victim was a young male student who lived in the Shikoku area, he died after school hours as did some of the other victims, and this may suggest that Genocide Jack could be another student or even a teacher. One thing is clear though, the key to finding him is through his victims._

 _July 4, 2014-_ _We have found a correlation between all the victims, it appears that they are all of the type considered to be "handsome" to females. And considering the times of the kills and the locations this suggests that Genocide Jack could be female, a female student most likely. And if that is the case then we are looking for a female student who would not stick out like a sore thumb. Genocide Jack's deranged instability suggests that he may suffer from a mental disorder such as dissociate identity disorder (DID). It could be that Genocide Jack is merely an alternate persona to a female student, while the female student's real persona is the complete polar opposite of its deranged counterpart. Most likely shy, not very outgoing, timid and withdrawn. She most likely does not come from a stable social and home life and is thought of as an outcast to the outside world. However if the rule of polar opposites is true then this female student would be very smart and reserved in comparison to Genocide Jack's broadness and manic behavior. This could suggest why Genocide Jack has remained hidden for so long and has not drawn any unnecessary attention to himself, his real persona is smart enough to know when to take over and control his urges. It appears we are looking for a misunderstood girl with a monster inside of her._

And then after that there were multiple blank pages filled with pictures of crime scenes and victims of Genocide Jack. All of these horrible details and pictures drained the color from my face immediately and caused me to shake incessantly, but I tried my best to power through the trauma and keep reading until I had finished absorbing every single detail of the file. And then finally I found a small scrap of paper at the end of the file. There was very neat handwriting on the page and there was also a picture of Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, standing with her back to the wall, paper clipped to the top of the page. The contents of the final page of the binder read:

 _To whom it may concern,_

 _Every word spoken in the confines of this case file is the absolute truth. Genocide Jack is indeed a grievously misunderstood female student as specified. I have confirmed with her myself that she does indeed suffer from dissociative identity disorder, though Genocide Jack is the only other person she shares her body with. It is an odd occurrence to say the least, but I have seen Genocide Jack for myself and I can say with all magnitude that the monster she is portrayed to be as couldn't be further from the truth. Genocide Jack is by all definition an imbecile. She, as well as her counterpart Toko Fukawa, is the most horrid girl I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. She claimed to use her Genoscissors to profess her love to the men around her, I know this because she proclaimed me to be her next target. For her murder is like a love confession, Toko Fukawa has horrible luck with love so Genocide Jack is the result of her negativity and sheltered feelings of rejection and loneliness._

 _However, I had no intention whatsoever of being killed off by an idiot such as her. And for some reason she took it as a compliment and from what I can tell she fell into a pathetic one-sided relationship with me. Though I immediately detested her I led her on for a little while and turned her into my, well I guess a nice way to say it is servant. The girl, Toko, had a very nasty persecution complex so she responded to every single insult I gave her as if it were praise and admiration. She was very easy to manipulate and control using this bad habit. I even said that if she could hold Genocide Jack back until we escaped this horrible place that I would make her my servant for life. I was lying of course but she didn't have to know that. Toko Fukawa was an absolutely, horrible, rotten, filthy, down trodden, plebian, insignificant, waste of space of a girl._

 _Which is why, I can't comprehend as to why I miss her so much. Why do I miss hearing her obnoxious and horrid voice? Why do I miss seeing her disgusting face and figure? Why do I miss her horrid presence around me? Why do I miss her and the others so much?_

 _During my time here, I have come to know the displeasure of including myself with plebian garbage such as these lowly commoners. But even now, I find myself thinking about them every second of every day. I see their happy, idiotic, smiling faces which are perfectly content with living the meaningless life of a drone and yet I somehow miss seeing those idiotic, happy faces. In the beginning there were so many of us, but now it's dwindled down to me and a few others. It's been (blank) since we've been locked in here and in that time our hope for escape has dwindled down to none. The others have seemed to realize that there is no escape, and since they refuse to embrace the inevitable they're lost. Completely and utterly lost. As am I._

 _This was a rigged game from the beginning, I see that now. There was never any getting out, beyond these walls are a different set of walls, and there are more walls beyond those. My family is gone, I'm cut off from them completely. My name means nothing here. It's me and five others, we're each other's whole worlds now. (Blankity blank). (Blankity, blank). (Blankity, blank). (Blankity, blank). Hajime Hinata. And me. Sadly one of us will follow the others and die tonight. And if one of you five should find this note please know that I don't blame any of you for what we did, I deserve this. I realize now that this is the only thing my actions deserve. I'm not strong enough. I can't live like this anymore, living knowing that our sacrifices were for nothing, ( big blank ). So these are my last words. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully no more of you will choose to take the coward's way out. Live, please continue to live. If you don't I will come back and haunt you from the grave._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Byakuya Togami_

I closed the binder and then I exclaimed aloud, "What the hell?! What…what is this?!"

Jose took the binder from me and then opened it up again. "It's a cold case file," he replied. "You know a murder or crime that has gone unsolved for some time. Most of these kinds of files end up in musty old storage lockers, far beyond the eyes of anyone and only get to see the light of day when detectives look back over them and try to find anything they missed before."

"Why the hell is something like that here?! At a school for God's sake?!" I exclaimed.

Jose smirked. "I see, this is what Togami-san was in here all hours of the day researching. I've gravely underestimated him. He takes mysteries far more serious than I do, where as I've just read novels of the sort he's been in here trying to solve real mysteries. And it appears that this was the last mystery he ever solved, the Genocide Jack serial murders." It almost seemed like Jose was intentionally ignoring me.

"I've heard that name before, Genocide Jack he's that serial killer that's been all over the news and the internet, right? But the person mentioned in there that Togami-kun found to be Genocide Jack is the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Toko Fukawa. It must be some kind of mistake, right? There's no way someone like her could be a serial killer." I was trying to put some reality back into this unrealistic situation. A Hope's Peak Academy student was secretly a serial killer? That couldn't be true, could it?

"Have you ever met Fukawa-san?" Jose asked snidely. "Now that I think about it, she matches the police's profile to a T, Togami-san might've even suspected her from the beginning. And during this whole conflict caused by Monokuma he was able to confirm his suspicions."

"So it's true? The Ultimate Writing Prodigy leads a double life as a monstrous serial killer?" That sounded like something out of works of fiction.

"Not exactly, Togami-san confirmed the police's suspicion that Fukawa-san suffered from dissociative identity disorder. Meaning, that she had multiple personalities inside of her, one of them being Genocide Jack. Usually the case with people who possess multiple personalities is that they aren't in control when their personality comes out, the other personality takes total control of their mind and body and makes them do things that they aren't totally aware of." There was no stutter in Jose's voice anymore, it was like since reading that case file he had turned into a completely different person. And I couldn't get that smirk he had while reading the case file out of my head.

'I guess this proves that Byakuya Togami is dead and he can't be Hajime's killer, and according to Byakuya's letter Toko Fukawa died before him so that rules her out too. That's two more suspects down, that's a good thing I guess. But this whole thing about Genocide Jack and dissociative identity disorder, could it really be true?' I wondered.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: GENOCIDE JACK CASE FILE

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BYAKUYA'S LAST WORDS

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BYAKUYA TOGAMI

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: TOKO FUKAWA

"Alright, well thanks for helping me out Historia-kun. Now I think I'm going to go and investigate some other areas. But before I go, do you need me to help you clean up this mess in the library?" I asked.

Jose shook his head and replied, "No thanks, I've got it. There's some more things I want to check out too so I won't be long in here. You go on your way," he said as he waved me off.

"Okay, see you around," I replied as I walked out of the archives and navigated my way through Jose's maze of books again to reach the library's exit.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:25 AM

0:35:00 REMAINING

I decided the next place I should check out was the swimming pool. So I walked through the foyer and was surprised to see that some kind of electronic locks had appeared on the doors to the locker rooms from the first time that I had come to the pool earlier that day. I thought it was odd at first but then I remembered what Monokuma said earlier about our e-handbooks and how they could be used to get into certain places so I decided to try scanning my e-handbook on the boys locker room electronic lock and found that it opened without hesitation. The locker room hadn't changed that much since I was last there, there were still sets of lockers inside, some exercise equipment, and a poster of a busty model that was hung up on the wall. And then I walked into the swimming pool and found that once again someone had come here before me. The Ultimate Triathlete, Sawa Nanase.

Sawa was standing at the far end of the pool and from what I could see she was sill barefoot, but I guess in the pool area that was to be expected. When she saw me enter she immediately waved me over. "Perfect timing! I think I found something!" she exclaimed and I rushed over to meet her. When I was closer I saw that she was busy investigating the poolside locker space, where I assumed that they kept pool cleaning equipment and things of that nature. But when I was right beside Sawa she turned to me and said, "Brace yourself, this might be a shocker," and then she opened the locker and I saw something that made my face go pale. It was a school swimsuit, the kind you would expect to find at a school pool but that wasn't the thing that shocked me. The thing that shocked me was that the school swimsuit was covered in bright pink blood. It was hanging from a metal wrack inside the locker and from what I could see it was the only thing inside. The swimsuit also had a name tag on the front of it that read: _Asahina Aoi_.

"That…! Aoi Asahina, that's the Ultimate Swimming Pro!" I exclaimed in shock.

"I see. You had the same thought," Sawa said in a sad tone. "I can't believe it, this means she has to be the one right? The one who killed Hajime Hinata?" She rubbed her shoulder in unease. "I just can't believe it, Asahina-senpai what have you done?"

I raised my eyebrow in confusion. "You knew her personally, Nanase-san? Aoi Asahina?" I asked.

She looked at the floor and responded in a soft tone. "Not from the swimming team, I hate pools so getting near them frustrates me. I can't stand the stench of chlorine, but I powered through it because I figured I would find something about her here. She loves nothing more than swimming, but Asahina-senpai is full of energy, so much so that she's a member of a whole bunch of sports teams. Including track, that's where I know her from. She's my senpai on the school's track team," Sawa explained.

"Well you know, nothing's set in stone yet. This could be nothing at all," I tried to smooth over the obvious elephant in the room, blood all over a swimsuit belonging to a certain person was obviously beyond incriminating, it was more like walking into a police station and saying "I did it, arrest me". This proved without a doubt, Aoi Asahina had to be Hajime's killer.

"Yeah right," Sawa scoffed. "This proves she's guilty, it has too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to defend her or anything, I only said that I couldn't' believe she would do this. I never said that she didn't do it. The case is settled, the senpai that I remembered, the kind-hearted and easily excited girl who would always do her best at anything and always gave her all to prove herself to everyone around her. She's a killer." Then she laughed a little. "That doesn't sound convincing at all does it?" she asked me. "I guess some part of me doesn't want it to be true, even though the rest of me is completely convinced. All this blood couldn't have come from anything else besides the murder."

I could tell that Sawa was upset, as much as she was trying to hide it and put on a brave face I could tell that her world was starting to crumble. As I looked closely at her I noticed that her eyes seemed pink and puffy, she had been crying a lot by the looks of it. 'She must have stopped when I first came in,' I thought to myself. I looked back at the swimsuit. 'Aoi must have been someone really special to her.'

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BLOODY SWIMSUIT

"What's this I see here? A teenage boy and a teenage girl alone together at the pool? Sorry, did I interrupt something private? By all means please continue, pretend I'm not even here."

'Not now,' I thought and turned around to see that Monokuma had suddenly appeared in the lifeguard chair. 'Dammit. Him again.'

"So I thought I heard a discussion about Aoi Asahina, but maybe that was just my imagination. Because you know, I know a secret that could maybe clear up some of the anguish here. If you're interested that is. Well do I have any takers? Or do you two just want me to leave so you can continue your happy rendezvous at the pool?"

Sawa didn't respond and didn't so much as look up at Monokuma, but I figured that any hint we could get was a valuable one so I decided against my better judgement to take Monokuma up on his offer. "Alright, I'll hear you out. What's the deal with Aoi Asahina?"

Monokuma cupped his paws over his mouth and chuckled. "Perhaps a visual aid will better explain. Meet me one floor above us and I'll show you something that might help you out, depending on how you interpret it that is. But I'm warning you any sneak attacks on your part won't be looked kindly upon. If you try to lay a finger on me again Akira-kun, I might have to come at you like I did with Yasuke-kun. Capeesh?"

I sighed. "Fine. But this better be worthwhile," I replied.

"I promise that you'll find it beary interesting, see you on the third floor." And then he disappeared again.

"You're not seriously going to humor him are you?" Sawa asked.

"He knows who killed Hinata-kun, and from the way he was talking I'm not sure that we can just wrap this up to the murder was committed by Asahina-san and then call it a day. Besides, it seems a little too obvious, doesn't it? I'll go see if the lead pans out, okay? Nanase-san why don't you go check on the others and see how their investigations are coming along?"

Sawa nodded in reply and then smiled at me. "Okay, just be careful, alright?"

"You got it," I replied and then I ran out of the pool and headed to the third floor.

* * *

A/N: Okay, the last part is even longer so it's going to take a while to complete. Hopefully, I'll have it done by the end of this week but then again I promised to have both of the other parts of the investigation done in one double post so I've been wrong before. Just bear with me please and know that I appreciate your patience and support. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you next time.


	10. Prologue, Part 8

A/N: Okay here's the last main part of the investigation, are you ready because it's a long one? And remember to keep track of those clues so you'll be able to solve the mystery before the students because the fun of a mystery game is figuring out conclusions before they're played out. And I will have a pretrial section before I begin the class trial that will remind you about all the clues presented so it's fine if you can't remember them all at once. Okay now then, when we last left Akira he was presented with incriminating evidence that Hajime Hinata's killer might be the Ultimate Swimming Pro, Aoi Asahina, could she really have done it or is there something else going on here? Read on and we'll find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or any of the songs featured in this chapter.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 8: The Plot Thickens**

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:28 AM

0:32:00 REMAINING

As I ran up the second floor staircase to reach the third floor I began to think about everything that I had found out so far. 'We can't say for sure who is Hajime's killer yet but of the twenty-seven suspects we've eliminated three of them so far. Gundam Tanaka, Byakuya Togami, and Toko Fukawa. All three of them are already dead so they can't be the killer. That leaves twenty-four more suspects left. And then there's Aoi Asahina, that swimsuit belonging to her was covered in blood and it was fresh blood too so it has to be related to this case. That makes Aoi the prime suspect in the murder…but it seems a little too obvious. Why commit a murder in something that has your own name written on it? Either Aoi wasn't thinking it through very well or someone's going out of their way to frame her. I don't know what to think, we don't have nearly enough evidence to draw any conclusions. And there's twenty-three more suspects that we need to investigate first.'

I rounded the flight of stairs and reached the third floor. 'One thing's for sure, I don't think we're going to get anywhere unless we first establish who's dead and who's not. But how do we do that? There aren't any more crime scenes to investigate besides Hajime's crime scene. If only we could…' my thoughts were interrupted when I collided with someone just as I was rounding the staircase corner. I was hit hard on the head with the head of the person I crashed into and we both landed flat on our backs in response to the collision.

"Ow, watch where you're going you damn idiot!" my fellow collider exclaimed, making me know immediately who I ran into.

I sat up on my back and rubbed my forehead to ease its pain. "Junmaru-kun, is that you?" I asked in reply.

Jonathan's glasses got knocked off of his face as a result of the collision so he was forced scramble on the floor to collect them. When his glasses were back on his face he replied, "Yes, it's me. Now again, for crying out loud watch where you're going." He got up off the floor and dusted off his blue jeans. "What are you doing running around in the halls for anyway, Aki?" he asked.

"Monokuma," I replied with a groan.

"What about him?"

I pushed myself back up onto my feet and dusted off my clothes as well. "He told me to come up here to the third floor, he said something about giving out a hint for the investigation."

"Well this can't be a coincidence, that idiotic robotic bear appeared to me too and told me the same thing. I was up on the fourth floor and he told me to come down here to get answers to certain questions."

"Eh?" I uttered in reply.

And then I heard someone coming up the stairs. "So I'm not the only one who was asked to come here then. This can't be good," another familiar person said. Jonathan and I turned in the direction of the staircase and saw that Yasuke had appeared at the top of it. From what I could tell he had managed to stop his nose from bleeding by setting it and plugging up his nostrils with strips of paper towels, though his shirt still had a large blood stain on it that had appeared to have set in before it could be completely cleaned. He folded his arms and sighed. "I guess it's a good sign that I wasn't called up here alone but it's just my luck that I'd get paired up with wimpy and the neat freak."

"What the hell did you say you bloody idiot?!" Jonathan shouted in reply.

"You've just proven my point, I haven't even been here thirty seconds and you're already commenting on the blood. I didn't get to the stain in time, blood sets in fast, okay?" Yasuke pulled at the fabric of his shirt. "Good thing this shirt wasn't even clean, now I just have another excuse to wash it."

"What the…what the hell do you mean it's not clean?!" Jonathan exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Oh god, don't tell me you're going to bitch about that too. I've been busy lately, I haven't had the time to do the laundry."

"You're disgusting! Don't ever touch me, I bet you didn't even shower this morning!"

Yasuke raised his arms and shrugged and then said, "You don't have to shower every day."

"Repulsive," Jonathan replied in disgust.

I sweatdropped at the scene. "Hey guys maybe we should concentrate on the task at hand. We've got to find Monokuma."

"Speak of the devil and he will appear." We all turned and saw that Monokuma had appeared in front of the door the rec room. "Welcome you three lucky contestants to a special mini-game that I like to call the _Death Scavenger Hunt_!" he exclaimed as he raised his arms.

"D-Death Scavenger Hunt?" I replied in fear.

"Hey dumb bear, I've got a bone to pick with you! What's the deal with summoning the three of us here, you said this was a special hint for me alone!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"That's what you're mad about? God you're so damn full of yourself," Yasuke replied.

"Well this mini-game requires a minimum of three players, I wanted to get all of you here but most of you downright refused. Luckily you three morons chose to participate, you must really want to get out of here if you're willing to result to taking hints from the mastah of disastah!" Monokuma exclaimed in a showy manner.

"So you admit it, this "hint" you want to give us is just a croc to get us to waste time, isn't it?" Yasuke asked.

"Gosh, you all think so little of little old me. I'm not that bad, I swear. This is an honest to god hint that I'm giving you out of the goodness of my twisted little blackened heart. Don't you trust me?" Monokuma asked.

"No," the three of us replied altogether.

"Yikes, tough crowd. Well news flash, maybe I want you guys to win this first round because then I finally get to play my game."

"Wait, you're helping us to move us along?" I asked.

"Duh, what did you think I was helping you for you moron? If you guys win then everybody wins in this situation…except for the person you guys execute. But screw them, right? It's live or be killed, every man for himself. So I'll help you guys any way I can in order to make sure that we get to continue having lots of fun, fun, fun."

"No way, as soon as this is over we're getting out of here. We don't care what you say, none of us are killing each other," I replied.

Monokuma chuckled. "You're funny. That's the same exact thing Makoto and Hajime said…and look what happened to them. It doesn't matter what you say, things will never ever go the way you want them to. But by all means, hold onto that pathetic hope you have of returning to your normal lives again because I want to see the looks of despair on your faces when its wings get burned and it comes crashing down from the weight of utter hopelessness."

"Says you, I'm not going to kill anyone either," said Yasuke.

"Me neither, like I said I can't stand blood and I especially can't stand you," said Jonathan.

"Looks like I'm not very well liked, oh well you can't blame a bear from trying. Let's just get this game started, all you need to know is inside the rec room. Counting down from now you have thirty minutes until the class trial begins, follow the clues I give you and you should have enough evidence to solve the case and find out who did in Hajime Hinata. Good luck bitches, you're gonna need it. Adios!" Monokuma exclaimed and then he ran off again.

"Where do you think he goes?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Beats me, but we don't have time to worry about that now. We have to solve this mystery, that's the only way we're even going to have a chance of getting out of here alive," Yasuke replied.

"So I guess the three of us are going to have to work together in order to solve this, it's fine by me just make sure you don't slow me down," said Jonathan.

"Alright then, let's do this." I opened the door to the rec room and then the three of us walked inside and examined the room. The thing that first caught our eyes was shocking to say the least. At the very back of the rec room there was a large man-made funeral altar that was surrounded by flowers and a series of candles, and on the altar's middle shelf there was a series of photographs of different people. Then on the very top shelf there was an odd and off-putting statue that looked incredibly gruesome and terrifying. The candles surrounding the altar were held on top of bone-shaped candle holders and the bright flames coming from the candles spread smoke around the altar and made it seem as though a dark miasma aura had enveloped it. The altar looked like something you would prepare in order to curse someone, not to honor them. However, there were several funeral portraits on the middle alter shelf that said otherwise which made me think that the shrine was just made to look ugly by design. Most likely it was made by someone who meant well but didn't realize what bad taste they had.

"What…what is that thing?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"It's a funeral altar, but not one I'd ever want to be honored on that's for sure," Yasuke said with wide eyes.

"Do you think this is the hint that Monokuma mentioned? For the _Death Scavenger Hunt_?" I asked with a sense of fear in my voice.

"This altar sure looks like it would be involved in a game with a dark name like that," Yasuke said as he walked up closer to the funeral altar. Then he picked up one of the portraits on the shelf and examined it closely, and then he showed it to me and Jonathan. It was a black and white portrait of Byakuya Togami that was laced with white ribbons on the top corners of the frame and had a big bloody 'X' marked out across the photograph. "I think it's safe to say that he's dead, as are these guys." Jonathan and I moved in for a close look and saw that the other portraits on the funeral altar were of Toko Fukawa, Gundam Tanaka, and Hajime Hinata, all three of whom I had already found out to be dead. I also saw that along with the places for the four portraits on the middle altar shelf there seemed to be room for much more of them.

"Hey look, there's instructions posted up here on the wall," Jonathan said, grabbing mine and Yasuke's attention. All three of us crowded around a pin-up announcement that was left next to the altar. It read:

 _Welcome to the mini-game of the Murder Mystery Tour, the Death Scavenger Hunt, which I decided to make up because you morons were taking too long figuring things out. It was either extend the time limit or give you more hints, and we're on a tight schedule so more hints it is. As you can see this is funeral altar dedicated to the students who lost their lives in this academic colosseum. Including the eight sacrificed, the eighteen suicides, and the recently deceased Hajime Hinata there's a total of twenty-seven. One survivor left, who could it be? I'm not going to just flat out tell you but I will give you some leeway and point you in the right direction. I'm going to tell you where the other crime scenes were previously before they were cleaned up, certain clues may be available in those areas so don't forget to search every nook and cranny. But the best part is that this is mainly going to be mental work, all the names and specific details pointing to the deceased's identity have been retracted. But based on the locations and acts attributing to the suicides and deaths as well as the survivors' thoughts afterwards you should be able to narrow down who died where as well as make a specific timeline for each death. Here's your first clue:_

" _We found both of them together in the art room, right under (blank name)'s collage. They were holding each other close, they always acted that way but now it really seemed so, they were really like siblings. (Blank name) was the older (blank gender specific thing) and (second blank name) was the younger one. I couldn't believe that we would never get the chance to be together with them again. (Blank name) would never take any more photos of all of us and (second blank name) would never be around to mock anyone with good nature and fun. Their deaths shattered our spirits greatly, we just couldn't understand it. The two of them loved life so much and yet they chose to end theirs? They tried their best to make their talents unmatched and they loved what they were good at too. If they of all people couldn't hold onto their hope then what hope was there for the rest of us? The only redeeming thing was how peaceful they looked. They overdosed on drugs from the infirmary by the looks of it. It almost looked like they were sleeping, they even wore small smiles on their faces. Unfortunately this was a sleep that they both would never wake up from._ "

 _Your first hypothetical crime scene is in the art room, there's not really any evidence pertaining to Hajime's murder but there may be some leftover evidence from an old suicide case. Go check it out for yourself and you'll find the clue leading to the next crime scene. Try to figure out who were the people who died in these places and each time you get one right a new portrait will appear on the altar mantle. If you time it right you can find out all twenty-seven identities of the deceased. Happy hunting!_

 _XOXO,_

 _Monokuma_

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: DEATH SCAVENGER HUNT

I was utterly disgusted at the light he could make from something so tear-jerking as that. I wanted to cry but I couldn't force myself too, we had no time to waste. Our lives depended on solving this mystery, and I for one wasn't going to give up now.

Yasuke pointed to the door. "To the art room, book it," and then the three of us ran out of the rec room and headed down the hall and past the marble columns in the third floor hallway to reach the art room.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:31 AM

0:29:00 REMAINING

When we reached the art room we immediately noticed that a large portion of the back wall and chalkboard was covered in hundreds, if not thousands, of photos. And each one of the photos was pieced together in a collage to make a giant picture and the picture in this case was Monokuma's fat ugly face. "That's…?!" I was literally speechless at the giant waste of film and creativity.

"Is he really serious? God, I take it back he's fuller of it than you, by a long shot," Yasuke said to Jonathan.

"That is some real bad taste in art, is this the collage that was mentioned in the clue? If it is I think I can get why they killed themselves, after seeing this I'm tempted to end it too. Not that I'd actually be that much of an idiot," Jonathan commented on the collage.

"Sheesh, everyone's a critic." Monokuma appeared right in front of us in an instant, he literally moved as fast as lightning. "Art is meant to simply get a reaction out of a person, you numbskulls. It doesn't matter what that reaction is, as a matter of fact if you automatically hate the art piece then that was probably the reaction the artist wanted you to have in the first place."

"This is the collage that Mahiru Koizumi made?" Yasuke asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, Mahiru Koizumi?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "The Ultimate Photographer?!"

Jonathan snickered. "Come on Aki, don't tell me you didn't figure out such an obvious clue? One of the people who died was mentioned to take photos and it said that the two people who died, died under a collage of photos. Mahi is the only student who has anything to do with photos. Any idiot could've figured that out."

"Ding-da-ding-ding-ding!" Monokuma exclaimed. "You got one out of two. 50%. And since this is still a school that means you get an F-. You three boys all fail art class, unless you can tell me the identity of the student who died in Mahiru's arms. I'll give you the next clue if you can figure it out. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Will the Wannabe, Neurologist, and Procrastinator be able to solve the riddle hidden in the collage? Only time will tell, but they don't have that much time to waste in the first place." Then Monokuma laughed really loud. "I crack myself up. Later!" And then the diabolical bear disappeared as fast as he appeared.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MAHIRU KOIZUMI

I frowned as I stared at the photo collage. "So this is Mahiru Koizumi's final resting place, eh?"

Yasuke sighed. "I can't imagine the others came in here that often after she and that other person passed away. So I doubt that any of them made this stupid collage, and if they all hated Monokuma as much as I do I'd doubt someone as talented as Koizumi would waste her time on something so atrocious. So that leaves the dumb bear himself."

"Then what did he do with the original collage?" I asked curiously.

"Knowing him he either shredded it or burned it, the idiot only cares about making people miserable. He's made that abundantly clear already," Jonathan replied.

I scoffed in disgust and then decided to observe the collage closer to find out exactly what Monokuma meant as the riddle that was hiding inside of it. And then I accidentally tripped over something and fell, knocking over an easel in the process. Jonathan and Yasuke ran over to my side and helped pick me back up onto my feet by throwing my arms over their shoulders. "You okay, Maita?" Yasuke asked in concern.

I grunted in reply to his question as I felt a sharp twinge in my right leg and foot. "I think I twisted my ankle," I said as I gritted my teeth in pain.

"You've got to be more careful Aki, to truly get anywhere in life you've got to always be aware of your surroundings, just like m…" Jonathan's eyes widened and his face went completely pale when he looked down at the ground to observe the condition of my ankle. And then he screamed and forced my arm off of him and then he quickly ran to the other side of the room and gripped the wall in terror. Jonathan began to pant profusely as his eyes remained glued to the spot on the floor that had spooked him.

"What's gotten into you?" Yasuke asked.

Jonathan raised a twitching finger and stuttered out, "B-Bl-Blo-Blood!"

Yasuke and I looked at the floor to see exactly what Jonathan was talking about and then we saw that my trip had caused a large bucket filled with bright pink blood to pool out onto the floor, and it had also stained my shoes in the process. I was just as surprised as Jonathan but I didn't move, I felt like I couldn't move and with my ankle the way it was I wasn't even sure if I could. But Yasuke surprised me when he bent down and then scooped up some of the blood with his fingers. Then he brought the blood up closer to his face and examined it in the light. "This isn't blood, its paint." Then he shook the bright pink paint off of his fingers and scoffed, "Take into account the location you're in the next time you want to freak out about something. It only makes sense that paint would be in an art room, idiot."

"Paint! That's even worse!" Jonathan exclaimed, his terror unyielding. "Do you know how hard it is to wipe up art paint?! Most of the time you have to throw away anything it touches because it's that hard to remove!" He desperately checked his shoes and every inch of his clothes to make sure that not a single spot of paint had gotten onto him.

Yasuke sighed. "You're absolutely worthless." Then he turned to me. "Do you need to sit down for a second?"

I shook my head. "No I'm fine, we don't have any time to worry about stupid things like twisted ankles. We have to find more clues or else we're all dead. I'll just play through the pain." I retracted my arm from behind Yasuke's head and then I limped closer to the collage.

Yasuke smirked. "You on the other hand are far more useful than you think you are. But don't let that compliment go to your head, got it wimpy?"

I looked back and smiled at him and then I nodded, and then I continued to limp towards the photo collage. And when I was finally close enough to examine the photos that made up the giant Monokuma head I sat down on the teacher's desk and looked over each and every photo. Yasuke and Jonathan came up on either side of me and started to examine the photos as well. Even though together they made a picture of Monokuma the pictures themselves were of random things. The scenery of the academy, some of the students we had identified, and some pictures that looked like they were taken before the students got locked in the academy.

I could see that Mahiru had taken pictures of everyone in her class and everyone in Chihiro and Mukuro's class, there were even a few photos of Nagito, Chihiro, and Mukuro mixed into the bunch. Then Jonathan pointed out a photo that made part of Monokuma's mouth. "Hey look, it's Muku and Mako." Yasuke and I looked to where Jonathan was pointing and we saw a picture of Makoto and Mukuro together. Makoto had his arm wrapped around Mukuro and he was smiling at Mahiru's camera, but Mukuro seemed unnerved by the contact Makoto was giving her. Her face was flushed red in color and she was looking away from the camera instead of smiling at it. Then he laughed at the photo. "In here the hardcore soldier Muku looks like she's an actual girl. Do you think she was carrying a torch for Mako?"

"Focus. We need to find out who Koizumi died with, we won't be able to continue until we do," Yasuke replied.

"Is the answer really hidden in this collage?" I asked.

"It better be, I'm about tired of that idiot robot screwing with us," said Jonathan.

I looked over every single photo and started to notice that there were a lot of photos of Mahiru together with a group of girls. I recognized three of them. There was Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician, and Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse. And there was also another girl who I did not recognize; she had pale skin, a pair of violet eyes, and long black hair. The five girls were depicted in numerous photos laughing, smiling, and hanging out in different locations. "Huh, Koizumi-san seemed really close with these other four girls. Maybe the other victim is one of them?" I wondered.

Yasuke pointed at a picture of the five girls and said, "If Koizumi is victim #1 and one of these girls isn't a suspect then that leaves three possible choices, Tsumiki, Saionji, or Mioda." Then he sighed in exasperation and said, "Dammit, what are we supposed to do now, just guess?"

"One in three chance, and Monokuma didn't say that there was a penalty if we were wrong," Jonathan said.

"No, the penalty is that we waste time and don't gather any more useful clues. The answer has to be hidden in the collage somewhere," Yasuke replied.

Then Jonathan noticed something about one of the photos of the five girls. "Well that's odd," he pointed to the photo's edge, "See? One of the corners is bent."

"So? There are a lot of photos, you can't expect them all to be perfect," Yasuke replied.

"That's just it though, none of the other photos are bent, crooked, or misaligned in any way, shape, or form." Jonathan reached for the photo and pulled at the bent corner, we were all surprised when the photo came off the wall without any hesitation. "We've been thinking that the answer is hidden in one of the photos, but what if the answer is the photo itself?" Jonathan brought the photo closer to his face and then turned it around to examine its backside. "Aha, just as I thought. There's something written on the back of this, see?" Jonathan showed me and Yasuke the back of the photograph and we saw that there was writing that read:

 _BFFs for Life_

 _Mahiru Koizumi – the serious older sister and record keeper of the group_

 _Hiyoko Saionji – the funny, snarky, and cute little sister who gets away with everything_

 _Ibuki Mioda – the loud and lovable rock star who always makes us smile_

 _Mikan Tsumiki – the kind and gentle caretaker and nurturer_

 _Sato Amari – the always truthful hard worker who you can count on to be there for you_

 _Though we may grow older and someday drift apart our hearts will always keep us close. No matter what we will always be sisters who are connected by a bond even stronger than blood._

And then there were signatures from the girls at the bottom of the photograph. It was so sad that I almost shed a tear on their behalf.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: FIVE FRIENDS, ONE PROMISE

Then Yasuke took the photo from Jonathan and held it close. "The clue mentioned the person who died with Koizumi was like her younger sibling, right? And that this person loved to mock other people and tease them?"

I nodded in reply and said, "Yeah that seems about right."

Yasuke nodded in confirmation and then shouted, "Hey Monokuma, we've got the answer for you!"

And then the robotic bear suddenly appeared again. "Got the answer I see, well in that case tell me who it is, why don'tcha?"

"No problem," Yasuke said with a smirk and then he turned to me, "Tell him who it is, Maita."

"What, me?" I replied in confusion.

"What, don't tell me you didn't already figure it out? Think about it, based on the clue we were given in the rec room and this photo we found it could only be one person. Just tell him who you think it is?"

'Hmm, based on all the evidence and clues so far, the identity of the other person who committed suicide here in the art room could only be…' I looked up at Monokuma and said with a questioning look, "Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer?"

Monokuma made a sad face. "Oh, I'm sorry but unfortunately you are…absolutely correct!" his sad face disappeared and an excited one took its place. "That's right, Mahiru Koizumi and Hiyoko Saionji took their lives one cold night when the grief had become too much for them to bear, leaving their dear friend Mikan to wallow alone in despair. Ah, nothing's more precious than the despair over a lost friendship. First those poor girls lost Sato Amari and Ibuki Mioda and then they slowly lost themselves. One might even say their friendship was doomed from the very moment it started. So much grief came over their friendship, and so much blood and death as well. That goes to show you that interpersonal relationships will get you killed one way or another."

"That's a very dark way of looking at things," I replied.

"Well what can I say? I'm naturally dark. Anyway, since you solved the first part of the _Death Scavenger Hunt_ you get another clue." Monokuma handed me a sheet of paper with the next clue on it. "See you later." And then he disappeared again.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: HIYOKO SAIONJI

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: IBUKI MIODA

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MIKAN TSUMIKI

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MONOKUMA'S TESTIMONY

"Nice work Maita, we finished with plenty of time to spare for the rest of the game," Yasuke complimented me.

"Hey, I'm the one who found the clue. If it wasn't for my procrastination skills to notice such a minuscule detail as a bent corner you guys would've been stuck for sure," said Jonathan.

"You're right, thanks for not taking anything seriously enough so you can be able to focus on dumb things like photographs with bent corners," Yasuke replied sarcastically.

"I know you're making fun of me but I don't care, you're welcome," Jonathan replied.

"So what does the next clue say anyway?" Yasuke asked.

I lifted up the paper so they both could read along with me. The next clue read:

" _(Blank pronoun) kept saying he was going to make something that could get us out of here. Almost all day, every day, (blank pronoun) was in the physics lab trying to make something to help us. The latest experiment involved building a device that could short circuit the electronic locks in the restricted areas and the lock to the main entrance. (Blank name) was very confident that (blank pronoun) could outwit Monokuma and think of a way around his obstacles, (blank pronoun) may not have been all that smart but (blank pronoun) knew technology and machines better than anyone else so we were all depending on (blank pronoun). I guess the pressure must have just been too much for (blank pronoun) because one morning we went to Physics Lab and found (blank name) dead and hanging from the cat walk. (Blank pronoun) wrapped the wires (blank pronoun) was fiddling with around (blank possessive pronoun) neck and then jumped. Through an investigation and a class trial we learned that it was suicide, no matter how much we wished it wasn't._ "

"I guess we're headed to the physics lab next," I said.

"Alright then, let's go," Yasuke grabbed my arm and swung it around his neck and then he helped me walk…or in his case…run to the door. But then we stopped and were surprised to see that Jonathan was not coming along. "Hey, what's the hold up? We've still got a lot of ground to cover," said Yasuke.

"You guys go on ahead," Jonathan replied. He pointed to the paint that I spilled over. "If I don't do something about this mess it's going to drive me crazy thinking about it, I won't be of any use to you that way."

Yasuke shook his head and replied, "You are so weird."

"Don't question my methods. Messes always give me bad procrastination habits, the only way I can stop thinking about it is by cleaning it up. Just go, we don't have much time left."

"Which is exactly why splitting up isn't ideal." Then Yasuke sighed and said, "Let's go, Maita," to me and then we ran out of the art room and headed for the physics lab.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:35 AM

0:25:00 REMAINING

As Yasuke and I entered the Physics Lab we were immediately greeted with the sight of Monokuma. "Wow, you guys got here fast. You must really want to live. Good thing for you, I like hard working boys so I'm not gonna give you any run around this time…around." Then he chuckled. "Couldn't resist. Okay this time your clue to finding out the identity of the victim is…"

Yasuke immediately cut him off. "The answer is Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic."

Monokuma seemed flabbergasted. "What?"

"Kazuichi Soda, he's the one who hung himself here. The clue you left us was kind of obvious if you were able to keep the suspects' talents in mind. He's the only one that would be the best with machinery and technology out of their group."

"What a…load of bull crap!" Monokuma shouted. "I prepared one of the hardest challenges of all in this room and now you're telling me I don't get to use it?!"

"What was the challenge anyway?" I asked of curiosity.

"Glad you asked." Monokuma pointed to a large device that had a glass bubble dome. "You see that machine? It's an air purifier. That's the reason why you're able to breathe in here when all the windows and doors are bolted down. Considering that no oxygen could get in and out of the academy, I would have turned off the air purifier and locked you in here with a limited supply of air until you found out the identity of the deceased. But the clue I was going to give you was so damn complex that you probably would've gotten the answer when you were already gasping for breath." Then Monokuma shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, the next challenge is a doozy as well. Our special guest star has the next clue so just talk to her. See ya later, alligators." Then he disappeared again.

"I am kind of…no, I'm very glad we did not have to do that challenge," I said.

"Just be glad he's toying with us for now, there's no doubt in my mind that he made the clue simple on purpose. I think he's trying to lure us into a false sense of security so we'll stop think clearly. Remember, his games are deadly. The other students found that out the hard way."

"Yeah, I guess." Then I sighed and stared up at the cat walk in the room. Kazuichi's last resting place. 'Even though they did it themselves it's still his fault. He made them feel like it was the only way to escape. But I'm not going to give into despair so easily,' I thought to myself.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: KAZUICHI SODA

"Bonjour mes amis!" Yasuke and I turned to face the back of the physics lab and saw that Connie had emerged from the physics preparation room. She waved at us and then she came running over. "I see you decided to check la physics lab as well, great minds think alike, no?"

"Takemi-san? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Investigating, this is what we were told to do, no?" she replied. "La physics lab is le peak of Hope's Peak Academy, if I may say so myself. Here all the greatest minds converge and create utter marvels of science and machinery. Every time I step in here I find myself filled with new found resolve to continue la research of my pipe dream. I could not bear la thought that Monsieur Monokuma damaged it in anyway. But everything seems to be normal, except for this new machine." Connie pointed to the air purifier. "I use this room almost every day for my research and I am quite sure I have never see it before. A mystery, no?"

"Monokuma said something about it being an air purifier," said Yasuke.

"You saw la beast too, Messieurs? Monsieur Monokuma told me la same thing, he said 'twas made by a student with le title of l'Ultime Physicist. But I have no recollection of such a student. Another mystery added, no?"

'Huh, that sounds familiar,' I thought to myself.

"We've got more important things to worry about right now. We're investigating the clues Monokuma is leaving behind for us as he jumps from location to location. It's sort of like a scavenger hunt, except instead of items we're looking for the places where the other students died."

Connie squealed in excitement. "Oh I love les scavenger hunts, they're always so much fun! Monsieur Alice, Monsieur March Hare may I accompany you on your expedition?"

"I…I don't know, won't Monokuma get mad?" I asked Yasuke.

"It's not like he said nobody we met along the way couldn't tag along, as a matter of fact I think he wanted to get all of us involved originally. I'll think he'll be happy someone else wants to play now."

"Oh I see, so this is le hint Monsieur Monokuma was talking about? If I'd known it would be a scavenger hunt I would have gladly gone. My pipe dream can wait for now, come let us go, no?!" She had an overeager and weird way of looking at things.

"Now hold on, we don't know where we should go next. Monokuma said that someone would come bring us the clue telling us where the next location is."

"Next clue?" Then Connie's eyes widened and then she reached into her pants' pocket and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper. "Do you perhaps mean this, Monsieur March Hare?" Then she handed the paper to Yasuke, who hastily snatched it. "I found it in la preparatory room, I think Monsieur Monokuma must have dropped it."

"Dumb, ugly, watch girl! Why the hell didn't you tell us you had this sooner?!" Yasuke shouted.

"No one asked, no?" she replied innocently.

Yasuke growled and then he read over the clue and then gave it to me. It read:

" _We didn't think (blank possessive pronoun) first live performance for us would be (blank possessive pronoun) last. As (blank name) stood up on the stage, (blank possessive pronoun) guitar in (blank possessive pronoun) hands, amplifiers behind (blank possessive pronoun), and microphone in front of (blank possessive pronoun) (blank pronoun) looked so happy and energetic, just like (blank possessive pronoun) usual self. Though (blank possessive pronoun) music laid a lot to be desire – as a matter of fact it was the worst thing I had ever heard, and out of the whole group Hiyoko seemed to be the only one who liked it – (blank pronoun) still managed to cheer us all up. But we couldn't see until (blank pronoun) played that final song, that light-hearted song with the soothing melody, that (blank pronoun) was trying to_ say goodbye _. It happened in an instant. (Blank name) dropped to the floor in front of us and then (blank pronoun) started to shake incessantly, and within a few moments (blank pronoun) stopped moving completely. We had lost another one of our friends already and to make matters worse we found out later that (blank possessive pronoun) rigging was set intentionally to electrocute (blank possessive pronoun) when (blank possessive pronoun) mouth came into direct contact with the microphone, turning (blank name) into a human wire. But it turned out that (blank pronoun) was the one who rigged it that way, (blank pronoun) just couldn't take it anymore. And the truth was that the rest of us were jest as on edge as (blank pronoun) was._ "

"I think the answer is obvious once again, wouldn't you say?" Yasuke asked me.

"Yeah judging by the description it has to be…" I asked my other self and then replied, "Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician."

AMMUNITION UPDATED: IBUKI MIODA

"Yet another one that's easy to solve, he has to be planning something big. Is your ankle feeling better?" he asked me to which I replied with a nod. "Good now the clue mentioned a stage so let's head for the gymnasium," Yasuke said as he turned to exit the physics lab.

"Hold on a second, mon amie," Connie called out to Yasuke and got his attention. "I think la clue is referring to la upstairs music room."

"We have a music room?" Yasuke asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"How could you not know that? Don't you go to school here?" I asked.

"I mainly stay in the science building, the only time I ever come near the main school building is when I have to meet with the headmaster," Yasuke replied. "But now that I think about it, the music room might be the better fit. Okay, lead the way cuckoo girl," he said to Connie.

"Gladly," she replied.

"Hey wait, what about Junmaru-kun, shouldn't we wait for him to catch up?" I asked.

"Let Mr. Clean find his own path, we don't need anyone else slowing us down," said Yasuke. And then he and Connie exited the physics lab. I was about to follow them but then I decided to lay down the clue on a nearby desk, just in case Jonathan decided to catch up. I didn't want to just leave him out of the loop.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:37 AM

0:23:00 REMAINING

When we arrived at the fourth floor we were immediately greeted with a horrible, horrible sound. It sounded like two cats fighting over a can of tuna and it appeared to be coming from the music room. "Ugh, what the heck is that?" I asked as I covered my ears.

"It sounds awful," Yasuke added as he covered his ears as well.

"I think it's coming from la music room, no?" Connie replied as she cringed from the annoying sound too.

I hesitated before opening the doors and peering inside. And as soon as I opened the doors the sound boomed to massive levels. That's when I realized that this horrible sound was a combination of bad music and bad singing, and you'll never believe who the maestro of this musical torture was. Monokuma. He stood on top of an amp with a microphone in his right paw which he was singing deeply into, his singing was atrocious. There was a large karaoke machine that was spelling out the words to the song he was singing on a blue screen. But he didn't seem to be getting that many points by the looks of it. It's like he was deliberately trying to sing bad just to annoy us, which he probably was. And I couldn't believe the song that he was singing.

" _So no one told you, life was gonna be this way?! Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A!_ " Monokuma leaned back and screeched into the microphone," _It's like you're always stuck in second gear!_ " And I glued my hands to my ears in response. Then I crept into the music room and Yasuke and Connie followed me. Monokuma seemed to notice us appear and began to increase his volume. _"When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year…but I'll be there for you!"_ Monokuma pointed at me." _When the rain starts to pour!_ "Then he pointed to Yasuke." _I'll be there for you! Like I've been there before!_ " Then to Connie. " _I'll be there for you! 'Cause you're there for me too!_ " Then the music came to an end and Monokuma took a bow. "Thank you! Thank you! You've been a wonderful audience!"

"What the…what was that all about?!" I exclaimed.

"Seriously, are you trying to kill us with your awful voice?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"And on top of that you ruined one of les greatest songs ever made! Shame on you, Monsieur Monokuma!" Connie exclaimed.

"Yeesh, rough crowd. See this is why it's always best to go to karaoke alone, your friends will just diss your awesome singing skills because they're jealous. Like you pea brains."

"Enough of the games, give us the next clue already! We know Ibuki Mioda was the one who died here!" Yasuke shouted.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: IBUKI MIODA

"See I knew you would try to weasel out of my challenge again. That's why instead of giving you the challenge to learn the deceased's identity, I'm making the challenge mandatory for you to leave with the next clue. And this challenge is very simple. All you have to do is beat my karaoke score and I'll let you go."

"Karaoke? That is, how you say, dumb, no?" Connie replied.

"Stop kidding around, we're already on a time limit, we don't have time to sing songs," said Yasuke.

"Man you guys are a couple of cynics, everyone loves karaoke! My score is really low too so you basically don't have to do anything besides move your lips. And not one of you is willing to get up here and give it a shot?" Monokuma looked at me and shoved the microphone in my face. "How about you, Mr. Akira Maita? My intelligence tells me you're the Karaoke King of your neighborhood, what with how much you go to karaoke alone and all. Bravo for you, being ahead of silly things like interpersonal relationships. So what do you say, why not show off in public just this once?"

My eyes widened in fear. "How…how do you know that? I only go when I get bored."

"You go to karaoke alone? Seriously?" Yasuke asked.

"That is just sad Monsieur Alice. Just sad," Connie added.

"Hey, I don't go alone intentionally, okay?! It's just whenever I get invited to go with a group everyone cancels at the last minute, it's not like I like singing alone or anything," I said, trying to fight for what little dignity I had left. But it was useless, in their eyes I was a weirdo who sometimes liked to sing alone in a small sound proof room. There was a saying that if anyone ever caught you going to something as social as karaoke alone you would be branded a loser for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, I was a loner by design.

"Oh you poor thing," someone else suddenly said. We all turned to the doorway to see that someone had just walked into the music room. It was Beigoma, and she was giving me an annoying sympathetic look.

"Kiyoshi-san?" I replied. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

She ignored my question and then walked past Connie and Yasuke and directly up to me, and then she continued to speak. "You mean to tell me that you've never done karaoke with someone else before?"

I was a little annoyed that she flat out ignored me but the look she wore on her face got the better of me. I sighed in defeat and shook my head. "No."

"Then I'll show you how much fun singing together with someone can be." Beigoma grasped my hands and gave me a determined look. Then she turned to Monokuma and said, "Kira-kun and I will do a duet."

"Wait, we'll what?!" I replied in surprise.

Monokuma laughed at the scene. "Great, looks like we got some entertainment after all." The he brought the microphone up to his face and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the music stylings of Akira Maita and Beigoma Kiyoshi!" he exclaimed and then some kind of candid applause appeared out of nowhere.

"What was that just now?" Connie asked as she looked around for the source of the applause.

"Okay, no, no one is singing anything!" Yasuke exclaimed. "Give us the damn clue right now or I'm going to come up there and throttle you!" he shouted at Monokuma.

"Haven't we already done this rodeo, cowboy? If I say for you to sing then gosh darn it someone's gonna sing!" Monokuma shouted back at him. "And as an added measure…" as if finishing Monokuma's sentence the doors of the music room let out a loud *click* and when Yasuke tried to open them again he noticed that they were now locked from the outside.

"Aw, come on?! Seriously, again?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"Now I think that you guys understand me, so let's not waste any more time. Get on up here you two lovebirds," Monokuma said to me and Beigoma.

"Come on, it'll be fun," she said. And then Beigoma pulled my arm and led me up to the stage, even against my many protests. Then she positioned me next to the karaoke machine and handed me its other microphone while she bent down and began searching through the karaoke machine's list of songs.

"Break a leg you two, seriously," Monokuma said as he dropped his microphone and jumped off the stage.

Then when Beigoma was finished picking a song she came back and stood on the other side of me, and then she picked up the microphone Monokuma dropped on the stage and took a deep breath. Then she smiled at me and asked, "You ready?"

"No, I really do not want to do this," I replied. "I've never sung in front of other people before and I don' think…"

Beigoma cut me off. "To sing a duet together means sharing with someone both the pleasure and the responsibility of making music for an audience which is there to feel enjoyment through music – Andrea Bocelli," Beigoma said with a giggle.

"That doesn't change the fact that I still don't want to sing," I replied but she just kept on ignoring me.

"Trust me, you're going to love this song. Just stay calm and follow my lead," she said.

"But I don't want to sing." It was like talking to a brick wall. Beigoma appears out of nowhere and then she makes me participate in singing a duet? It was that crack manga feeling all over again. Everything this girl did was like something out of a bad crack manga. And before I knew it the music started. The tempo at the beginning sounded very light-hearted and then soon it started to speed up. Until finally the lyrics kicked in.

" _Danganronpa!_ " Beigoma exclaimed. " _Reality slips far away, fiction comes alive, we start to play._ " I looked on the karaoke machine's screen and saw that her lyrics were highlighted in red and mine were highlighted in blue. My part was coming up next. " _Hope is no more, behind a closed door as we drift away from where we were before._ "

And just like that it was my part. " _Hope and hopelessness become one. It's all meaningless, we've already begun,_ " I sang my heart out. " _Yup, we are all one and the same, never opposites, we play the same game._ "

Then it was her turn again. " _So I listen to the world, know right from wrong. Stay focused so I can stay strong. If you ever wonder why I'm trapped inside, it's probably just because I told a pack of lies._ "

Then my turn again. " _Maybe it's a dream, maybe it was pride, maybe for myself, I often wonder why?  
Until our very last breath, we're running after life, trying to beat death._"

Then the two of us sang together a part together. " _We walk a thin line between hope and despair, running from the truth but it's already here. Told so many lies I don't know if they can find me, only one life to live so choose wisely. Heads or Tails? Do you even know what side you're on? Does it really matter if it's on the same coin? If you want to achieve you gotta believe. It's time right now there's the door here's the key._ "

Then I had a solo part. " _Just got to chase the pain away. Let it fade away!_ " I was starting to get into this song, it somehow made me feel invigorated and empowered." _There's a ray of hope beyond despair. Move on, look for the truth in this world. Only one life to live so choose wisely!_ " I exclaimed. " _Break through the confusion, find a solution, beat the twisted evil things. Just do it, go for it!_ "

Then Beigoma and I sang together again. " _Never say never, never say never, never say never!_ "

Then she had a solo part. " _Don't be hopeless, stay focused. Got to grind every time so they open. Got to climb real high where the rope is, it is written in the sky see the opus. And you know this. Please don't lose hope, try to progress keep your eye on the scope, for yourself or do it for your folks. Dedication, comes through the oath!_ "

" _Danganronpa!_ " we exclaimed together.

"What does daganronpa mean if I may ask, Monsieur March Hare?" Connie whispered to Yasuke as the two watched Beigoma and I sing.

"It's a made up word that literally means "winning an argument with a bullet"," Yasuke replied as he watched emotionlessly with his arms folded over his chest.

"A little dark but it's very catchy," she replied as she began dancing in place to the melody of the song. I could see Yasuke was giving her a "what the fuck is wrong with you" look.

It was Beigoma's turn again. " _From this day forth, stay on course. No despair, got to have a heart. Take no loss, every step costs. Everybody wants to see if you fall off. Keep your eye on the prize, been through the worst even cried on the side. No lie never know what you'll find, got to believe, let's keep hope alive!_ "

We were nearing the end of the song. " _Don't throw yourself away, wipe all tears away. Even if the future seems uncertain, survive, find true happiness in this world. Dedication, got to swear the oath!_ " I sang.

To finish it off we both sang together. " _So have a strong intention and change direction. 'Cause the sky is the limit, just do it, go for it. Never, never say never! For yourself or do it for your folks. Break through the confusion, find a solution, beat the twisted evil things. Just do it, go for it. Never say never! Never say never! Never say never! Never say never! Never say never! Never say never! Never, never say never!_ " The music started to grow soft again and the tempo began to slow down. Then we both faced each other and smiled. " _Got to believe, let's keep hope alive!_ "

And then the music stopped and the candid applause reappeared, applauding Beigoma and I for our efforts. And to our surprise Yasuke and Connie applauded as well. Beigoma took hold of my hand again and then forced me to take a bow along with her. She giggled again and then began to speak to me. "See it's fun singing with other people, isn't it?" she asked.

I scoffed and then nodded in reply. "You were right, that was a good song."

"Let me know if you ever need a karaoke partner again, 'kay? I'll sing with you anytime," she said as she smiled at me and blushed a little.

Her expression made me blush in return. "Um, yeah sure thing."

Our thoughts were interrupted by a fit of sarcastic applause by Monokuma. "Encore, encore, bravo, brava!" he exclaimed. "I think it's safe to say you two beat my score. Although I couldn't disagree with your song choice more. Singing about hope and overcoming despair? Please. Maybe you should start singing songs about giving into despair and your hope being shattered instead because while you were enjoying that little music number you wasted five minutes! _Hahaha_ , choke on that bitches, you've got less than twenty minutes left and you're not even halfway done with the _Death Scavenger Hunt_. Sucks to be you!"

"Why you little…!" Yasuke lunged at Monokuma again but Monokuma proved himself to still be too fast for Yasuke to keep up with. Then the diabolical bear jumped up onto the stage and handed the next clue to Beigoma. "Since it looks like you'll be tagging along as well I'll give the next clue to you." Then he looked back at the rest of us. "And since that was so satisfying and since you're tapped on time I'll give you another freaking handicap, you're lucky I like you guys so much."

"Yeah, lucky us," I replied.

"No comments from the peanut gallery!" he exclaimed and then cleared his throat and spoke normally again. "There won't be any more challenges now, from now on you can reach an area and the next clue will be waiting there for you already. All you have to do is solve the mystery of who died where and keep looking for clues. Isn't that so nice of me?"

"Nice or not, we still don't like you," Beigoma said.

"Yeesh, I'm feeling the heat from quote girl now? Talk about tough breaks. All right fine, it's time for me to blow this popsicle stand. See you at the class trial kiddies." And then he disappeared.

"So what's going on anyway? I saw you three coming up from the third floor in such a hurry that I thought something bad had happened," said Beigoma.

"We're on a scavenger hunt of sorts," I said uneasily.

"A scavenger hunt?" Beigoma repeated in confusion.

"Qui, so far it is tres magnifique. Mademoiselle Daffodil, your performance with Monsieur Alice was incroyable. I can't get la song out of my head," said Connie.

"I wouldn't call this scavenger hunt incredible at all, the things we're looking are the places where the other students passed away. Monokuma gives us a clue and then we head to that location and figure out who died there based on the limited amount of information he gives us, but so far the clues have been pretty easy."

"Are you sure you want to come Kiyoshi-san? It might get harder from here on out, you know?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "If you're going, then I'm going." Then she blushed a deep red. "If…if that's okay with you that is. Is it?"

I chuckled at her odd behavior. "Sure, it's fine. Now what does the clue say?" In response to my question, Beigoma handed me the clue and I read over it.

" _We watched the video recording that (blank pronoun) prepared for us and were shocked at the discoveries we found. (Blank name) had already killed someone before, but according to (blank pronoun) that act just made (blank pronoun) feel even worse. Revenge wasn't the answer, (blank pronoun) found that out the hard way. The guilt ate at (blank name) until (blank pronoun) finally cracked. As we watched (blank name)'s final words unfold on the AV room's screen we couldn't help but wonder how (blank pronoun) got ahold of the knife in the first place. It didn't matter at that point though, not when yet another one of our friends decided to end their lives. Including the eight who sacrificed themselves our first week here, we had now lost fifteen. I couldn't help but wonder when it would finally end."_

"Where to next, Monsieur Alice?" Connie asked me.

"The AV room I think, but this clue is different from the others. It doesn't mention the deceased's talent at all, but it goes into more specifics about the death. It looks like we'll have to do some digging to learn the identity this time," I replied.

"Just as I thought, this is probably to make up for not being able to give those challenges. He took my advice and made the clues harder, if that's the case it's going to get a lot tougher from here on out," said Yasuke.

"Well then that just means we'll be needing all the help we can get. If we see any of the others along the way we should have them join our search," said Beigoma.

"Did somebody say something about needing help?" All of a sudden a playful and eerie-sounding voice appeared out of the woodwork. We all turned to the door and saw that Izuru had poke his head into the music room. He smiled at us. "What are you all doing standing around for, do you want to get killed that badly?" he asked in his usual creepy tone.

"For your information Monsieur Jabberwock we happen to be in le process of something very important concerning le class trial," Connie replied.

"Kamukura-kun, where did you come from anyway?" I asked.

He snickered. "You're saying I shouldn't sneak up on people because I might frighten them? Aw, that's mean, why don't you just come out and say that I'm ugly right to my face?"

"You're not ugly so much as you are…" Yasuke started.

"Creepy, very creepy," Connie said bluntly.

"Creepy, eh? So that's how I'm perceived?" Izuru just shrugged it off. "Very well, I hope your investigation leads to a fruitful endeavor, like I said I don't want to be the one carrying all the weight in the class trial." He turned to leave but then Beigoma stopped him.

"Wait, Izuru-kun?!" she exclaimed, getting him to stop and listen to her. "Do you want to come with us? We might need the help and you seem pretty smart. Besides, I don't think that it's right that you're investigating on your own."

Izuru looked like he was confused. "Are you concerned about me or something? Afraid that going it alone will get me wound up dead too soon?" His smile returned. "Well don't be. You misunderstand something crucial here, we are only being paired to work together by force. This game is for the good of the group at the moment. But once the sole survivor is officially dead like all the other students then our chapter can officially begin. That's what I'm looking most forward to. The part where we get pitted against each other, the mutual killing."

"What?!" I exclaimed in fear.

"I'm saying that the mutual killing will be ten times more fun than this, not only do we get to solve more murder mysteries but we also have to suspect each other of being killers. A game where it's you against everyone else. A game of king of the castle. A zero sum game. Because in the end that's all it is, don't you see? It's all just one big game, a game that I intend to win."

Yasuke seemed just as afraid as I was. "What…what are you talking about?! You actually want to go along with this madness?!"

Izuru chuckled. "I've told you once before already, I like having fun. My philosophy of life is that if something isn't interesting at all then it doesn't deserve to exist. Right now, I deem this game to be exceptionally fun so I'll play along. And as for the rest of you…well I'm still just getting to know you right now so there is still the possibility of you being interesting but who knows, I could be wrong. I wonder which one of us will kill first? Not me, no. I'll bide my time and then strike while the iron is hot. And until then I'll just watch the blood shed unfold, like a crow perched high up in a tree, watching the executioner bring death down upon the unexpected from the comfort of the shadows. And then when you expect mercy to come upon you that's when I'll come."

Izuru's eyes changed instantly, the blood red color started to increase in darkness and his pupils began to constrict. Then a wicked toothy smile appeared on his face. "I, the crow, will come and peck your eyes out!" And then he laughed deep and manically, like some kind of deranged lunatic. And then almost like flipping a switch he reverted back to his usual mopey and depressed self. "I'm bored now. If you'll excuse me there's still something I need to investigate in the chemistry lab. That was the only reason I came up here. See you at the class trial." And then he left without another word. We stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity, you could actually hear the sound of Izuru walking down the hall and going into the chemistry lab it was so quiet. Not one of us dare uttered a word, the temperature in the room dropped at least ten degrees. The iciness and insanity of Izuru's words held a thick miasma over us, it was a taste of the despair and fear of a future close to coming into fruition.

"You…you don't think he really meant that, do you? He really wants to kill us?" Beigoma seemed almost too frightened to ask.

"With that guy, who the hell knows?" Yasuke replied uneasily.

"Very creepy," Connie added.

I sighed. "I just…I just wish I knew what his deal was." And in all that unpleasantness I forgot to ask Izuru about the knife he had earlier, but I pushed it to the back and just decided to ask him before the class trial.

We stayed quiet for a few more moments until the silence was once again broke by the arrival of a panting Jonathan. "Sorry…I-I'm late…" he panted out as he gripped his chest tightly. "Did you…did you get the next cl…oh god I'm gonna die?" Jonathan blurted out.

"Bonehead, what took you so damn long?" Yasuke asked in his usual domineering way.

Jonathan took a few deep breaths. "There was a lot of paint spilled in the art room from Aki's trip," he replied. "I just finished cleaning it all up and rushed over to the physics lab to meet up with you guys. And then you idiots just went and disappeared on me, I had to figure out the clue before I could find out where you went next. Then I ran the whole way here, which in hindsight I'll admit wasn't a good idea after doing backbreaking labor like getting fresh paint out of linoleum floors. But I did manage to find something interesting." Jonathan pulled out an expensive looking professional camera and showed it to us.

"Whoa, where'd you find that?" I asked.

"It was back in the art supplies room. I was looking for cleaning supplies and I saw this on the counter. It's busted though, I think someone took a hammer to it or something." As if almost on cue, the lens popped up and fell onto the ground and Jonathan leaned down and picked it up. "But I figured it still might be useful, look who it belongs to." We all leaned in and looked at the spot on the camera that Jonathan was pointing to. It was a label that read:

 _Property of M. Koizumi, if found please return._

"It's…it's Koizumi-san's camera!" I exclaimed.

"Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer?" Beigoma asked.

"Yeah, we cleared her name off the suspect list. She committed suicide with Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, in the art room. So those two can't be Hinata's killer. We've also excluded Byakuya Togami, Toko Fukawa, Ibuki Mioda, Gundam Tanaka, and Kazuichi Soda," Yasuke explained.

"Wow, les Messieurs have already done an excellent job on la scavenger hunt, no?" Connie replied.

"I bet this camera has some other kind of clue on it, but if we can't get it to work then it's just a worthless hunk of junk," said Jonathan.

"Wait, I bet he would know how to fix it. Yano-kun, he's the Ultimate AV Technician after all. If we take it to Yano-kun he might be able to get it to work again," I replied.

"That's not a bad idea, but first things first, we've got to finish this scavenger hunt. Now come on, let's book it to the AV room before we're out of time."

NEW AMMUNITON ACQUIRED: MAHIRU'S CAMERA

"Alright then what are we waiting for? Let's head down to the first floor," Jonathan said as he headed out of the music room and we followed after him.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:41 AM

0:19:00 REMAINING

Upon entering the AV room we were greeted with the sight of Cam fiddling around with one of the many monitors and DVD players in the room. Chihiro was standing beside him and she looked like she was also busy helping him. "Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Cam exclaimed. "When I was here last week I was sure I had every single one up and running but now I can't get even one to work. Looks like we're not going to be able to watch that DVD," he said to Chihiro.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find out the problem. With the two of us working together we'll definitely get them working again," she replied and gave him a hopeful smile. "Now think, did you make sure all electronic boards were adjusted properly?" she asked.

"Yes," Cam replied.

"What about the spindle? It's not dirty or bent is it?" she asked.

"No, I make sure to clean and maintain all of them very often."

"How about the motor? Are there any shorts that you can see? Or maybe the winding's opened up and the tape's been pulled?"

In response to her concern, Cam checked the DVD player's inner workings with a small flashlight. "No from what I can see, the motor looks fine."

"Hmm…" Chihiro put her finger to her cheek and cocked her head to the side in contemplation. "There might be a problem with the sled then. If the DVD doesn't get picked up by the laser than it doesn't matter how much it spins inside, nothing will play. Do you see any loose screws or signs of tampering?"

Cam continued to look inside the DVD player and then he verbally exclaimed, "Aha! There's the culprit!" He pulled his out from the DVD player and turned to Chihiro. "A screw isn't loose, a screw's missing. Someone had to have taken it out on purpose, that's probably the case for all the other ones too."

"Do you have any spares?" Chihiro asked.

Cam pointed to a large desk in the corner. Bottom drawer on the right, it's where I keep all the spare parts. There should be a small screwdriver in there too."

Chihiro nodded and then headed over to the desk to collect the supplies Cam needed while the Ultimate AV Tech carefully opened up the inside of the DVD player and got to work at making sure nothing else was wrong with it. "Hey, we didn't expect to see you two here," I said, getting Cam's attention. "What's going on?"

"Chihiro-chan and I decided to come to my club room and investigate. I figured that maybe we could find out more about what happened to the others here, maybe one of them left behind some kind of message." Then Cam pulled a sealed DVD out of his pocket which had a label on it that read: _Final Confession_. "And that's when we found this. We were going to play it but we couldn't get any of the DVD players to work, until now that is, we think that we've finally found the problem."

Yasuke stared at the DVD with curiosity. "Hey, are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That DVD…," I replied, "There's a chance that it might be the one the clue mentioned."

"Hey yeah, the clue did mention a video recording that the deceased left for the others," said Beigoma.

"Um, am I missing something here?" Cam asked in confusion.

"We'll explain later, right now we have to watch that DVD. We're running out of time fast, when will you have it up and running?" Yasuke asked Cam.

Then a second later Chihiro came back with a small screw in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. "Here you go, I hope it's the right size," she said as she handed Cam the screw and the screwdriver.

"I'll have it ready to go in just a sec," Cam replied to Yasuke as he inserted the missing screw into the DVD player and screwed it in tightly. Then he put the DVD player completely back together and turned it on. "Fingers crossed now," Cam said as he inserted the DVD into the DVD player. Then the monitor above the DVD player went black and in a few seconds something mildly disturbing began to play out for us. It was a recording of someone sitting in the same exact chair Cam sat in now. A boy who looked to be about our age, although slightly on the short side. He wore an expensive looking black suit and had a shaved head and a sort of baby-face complexion. It was Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza. He had bags under his eyes and wore a grim expression on his face.

" _Hello there,_ " he said in the recording. " _My name is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, I am the next in line to inherit control of my clan which is one of the most well-know, revered, and feared Yakuza clan in of Japan. Unfortunately, if you are watching this that means I did not live up to the expectations of my family and instead I am now dead._ " Fuyuhiko sighed. " _I've been thinking about doing this for a while now, and recent events have inspired me to do so. The Kuzuryuu's may be a vicious and blood-thirsty family but above all else as Yakuza we are driven by honor. Without our honor we are nothing but trash, trash that doesn't deserve the walk the face of the earth. And before I go I want to admit my sinful deeds, I have dishonored the Kuzuryuu clan and brought great shame upon them and myself._ "

" _As Yakuza we are taught the value of life and death from a very young age, to be a Yakuza worthy of inheriting control you need to be strong. Unbelievably strong. You have to make tough decisions when the situation calls for it, be willing to always put the family before yourself, and always keep in mind that sacrifice is required in life. I have dishonored my name by breaking this third rule._ " Fuyuhiko sighed again and asked himself, " _Where to start?_ " Then he faced the monitor again and continued his speech. " _I was born into my family with the prestige of an heir already sewn into me, but it helped that I had a friend who always stayed by me through thick and thin. Her name was Peko Pekoyama, my family took her in and raised her to be my right hand of sorts. They always made her feel like she was a tool, and soon she began to think like that. She began to think that she was worthless and her only mission in life was to protect me. Looking back now, I should have been there for her more. I should have stood up to my family and told them from the very beginning the truth, and now because I didn't Peko's gone, gone for good._ " He shed a single tear but tried to maintain his composure.

" _You see, growing up I always had everything handed to me. I didn't have any other friends to speak of besides Peko because all the other kids were afraid that if they were mean to me in any way they would wind up in a ditch. Coming from a family like mine is a curse if their shadow always hangs over your head. And that was why from at a very young age I began to deny the luxuries extended to me. I decided that I didn't want to make it through life based on the merits of my family but on my own merits instead. If I was destined to become a Yakuza head then I would make it on my own terms. I wanted to prove to everyone that I wasn't strong because of my last name, I wanted to prove that I was strong all on my own. But that dream is gone now, because over the past few years I've realized something. I'm not strong. I'm not strong at all. That's why I've always been such a coward, that's why I wouldn't let anyone in when the people closest to me began to die. That's why I have to live with the fact that I killed someone with my own hands. You're probably thinking that I should be used to death because I'm a Yakuza, killing is supposed to come natural to us, right? Not me though, never me._ "

He sighed again and a solemn expression spread across his face. " _Nobody ever even found out about what I had done, it had been proclaimed as the act of a serial pervert and the investigation was closed after that. But I just…I just can't leave it at that anymore. Not now, not after everything that has happened. So I shall set the record straight right here, right now. I enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy along with Peko under the titles of Ultimate Yakuza and Ultimate Swordswoman, we entered the 77_ _th_ _class and that was where we met the people we called our friends for a brief time. And then a year later my little sister, Hitomi, also came and enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy._ "

" _I reacted like any person would expect an elder brother to react to seeing his little sister in such a surprising manner. She always felt like she had to one up me, sometimes I think that's why she grew taller than me. And then a few months into the school year I heard word that Hitomi was bullying some of the other kids, it was no surprise to me, she had always been that way. But then I found out that one of the people she bullied was someone I knew, Mahiru Koizumi, one of my classmates. Apparently Mahiru had been the center of Hitomi's bullying since they were in middle school, I assumed Mahiru had known that I was Hitomi's older brother from the very beginning but she never said a word to me about it. She had been as kind and courteous as you could expect, she made a decision to not let Hitomi bother her anymore and just ignore her. So I chose to ignore the problem as well and pretended like I had no idea that Mahiru was being bullied by my sister. Then it got worse. Hitomi may have been my little sister but she could be amazingly cruel when she wanted to be, most days after that Mahiru started to come to class with puffy eyes or sometimes not even come to class at all. I could tell that Hitomi was really hurting her. I should have done something, anything at all, to help them both. But it wasn't my concern, this problem was between the two of them. If only I hadn't been such an idiot about that I could have saved them both._ "

" _One day before school began, my sister was found dead in one of the classrooms. Apparently she had been struck over the head by a baseball bat and the clothes she was found in had signs of being ripped and torn, around that time there had been a rumor of a serial pervert being spotted in the area so the police chocked it up to the work of him and left it at that. My family was furious as you could imagine but it wasn't like they could do anything about it. If they had any idea who it was in the first place, trust me they would have sicked their goons on them in a heartbeat. And me…well I felt about as good as you could expect. Hitomi may have been a pain in the ass but she was still my sister dammit, she looked out for me in a way that no one else could. I felt like I could really rely on her to always have my back no matter what, just like Peko. And then she was just gone, taken away by some unknown pervert. But it was a few days after the incident that I learned the truth._ "

" _Mahiru had this small group of friends, Hiyoko Saionji, Mikan Tsumiki, Ibuki Mioda, and Sato Amari. The five of them were almost always together and they were all really close, especially Mahiru and Sato. They were so close that Mahiru confided in Sato that she was being bullied by Hitomi, just like when they were in middle school. But Mahiru and I didn't learn until later that Sato had arranged a meeting with Hitomi in order to get her to stop bullying Mahiru. Hitomi, being her usual self, vehemently denied Sato's request and then things got physical. In a fit of rage Sato strangled Hitomi until there was a single breath left in her body. Sato didn't mean it, but it was still murder. Sato Amari killed my little sister and then tried to cover it up by whacking her on the head with a baseball bat and breaking a window to make it appear as if the pervert had done it. Which everyone believed, everyone except Mahiru that is._ "

" _She always took photographs of everything, so it only made sense that she took photos of the crime scene considering that she and her friends were the first people to discover Hitomi's body. Mahiru discovered a contradiction in the crime scene and consulted Sato about it, as she had been the first one to arrive there. Sato overreacted and right then Mahiru knew that Sato had done something really bad, then Sato retreated and took Mahiru's photos with her. She tried to burn them in order to destroy any remaining evidence of her crimes but I found them instead. I saw Sato leave the photos to burn and recognized the photos immediately to have been taken by Mahiru. That's when shock overcame me. I knew the truth, my sister had been murder by Sato Amari. And after that I lost sight of right and wrong, all I could think about was revenge. Cold, hard, revenge._ "

" _The next day I surprised Sato and let her know that I knew what she did and that I wanted her to pay. I had a bat in my hands, the same kind of bat that she had used on my sister after she killed her. I was just going to scare her and make her admit to everyone what she had done. But…_ " then he scoffed, " _She denied it. She denied everything that she did and I…I lost it. Everything went red and I blacked out, and then the next thing I knew Sato was on the ground as blood poured down her face, and I was standing over her with the now blood covered baseball bat. I couldn't believe what I had done and felt so guilty over it. But I was too much of a coward to tell anyone else. And it only made matters worse when I found out that Sato had a little sister too, a little sister who had now lost her only sibling just as I did. So I kept it to myself as my dark little secret, and then…_ " Fuyuhiko sighed again, " _Peko and I came into this mess. "He" told us that only eight of us were going to have to die if the rest of us wanted to survive. We were kept in a classroom for a whole week without any food, water, or sleep. But no matter what happened we all refused to kill each other. That was how I realized that every single one of them was much stronger than I was, especially Mahiru and Peko. And then…Peko gave her life for us, as did several other brave souls. And the rest of us were allowed to leave after that. But we discovered that there no was way out at all. Our friends had given their lives for nothing._ " Fuyuhiko sighed in grief again.

" _Almost everyone's gone now. I've lost track of how many days it's been, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore…_ " Fuyuhiko pulled out a large serrated-edged knife and stared at it, " _Soon it will all be over._ " Fuyuhiko started to tear up and sniffle, " _I'm sorry I just can't go any further,_ " he said as he gripped the knife tightly in his fist. " _Hitomi and Peko, they're both gone. And Mahiru, Sato, and all their friends. I'm responsible for every single one of their deaths. I am not meant to be leader of anything! A leader wouldn't run away with his tail between his legs!_ " he cried. Fuyuhiko pointed the knife towards his chest. " _That's something a coward does, and the only thing this coward can do now to make up for all the lives he's ruined is by paying with his own life!_ " He closed his eyes in an effort to hold back the tears. " _I'm…I'm sorry Peko, I'm sorry Hitomi, I'm sorry Mahiru, I'm sorry Sato!_ " and then he stabbed himself and cut out his stomach. It appeared that as punishment for his sins he decided to commit hara-kiri. A noble death, not a coward's death. But that didn't stop Fuyuhiko from seeing himself that way. I was sure that if Mahiru and the others could see him now they would forgive him for everything.

And then the video faded to black and we all stood in silence. Nobody wanted to say anything, it was as if all the joy, if any, that was in the room had been sucked out in one fell swoop. Fuyuhiko's last words left us with a deep pit of despair. If they couldn't get out of this game then what hope was there for us?

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MAHIRU KOIZUMI

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: FUYUHIKO'S DYING MESSAGE

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: FUYUHIKO KUZURYUU

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: PEKO PEKOYAMA

And then finally Cam was the one to speak up, "Hey look there's more," he said as he pointed at the monitor's screen.

 _Poor, poor Fuyuhiko. Nothing but a scaredy cat in the end, he couldn't even face the murder that he committed and chose to take his life instead. Oh, his despair was absolutely delicious. But now I'm hungry for more despair so keep picking at those scabs kiddies. Make sure those wounds never heal. Here's your next clue:_

" _We couldn't believe our eyes as we saw the sight before us. 'It's happened again,' I thought as my knees buckled under their own weight. The others were just as frightened as I was. Already so much death had occurred, this was supposed to be our fresh start. We weren't driven to extreme pressures anymore, we could eat, we could drink, and we could sleep. All we had to do was keep our spirits up and not lose hope that we would find a way out of here. But (blank name) couldn't take it, it was just too much for (blank pronoun) to bear. We investigated and convened for a class trial but all we found was that (blank name) stabbed (blank possessive pronoun) with the kitchen knife we found sticking out of (blank possessive pronoun) waist. (Blank pronoun) stabbed (blank possessive pronoun) over and over again until (blank pronoun) was covered in blood as was (blank pronoun) dorm bathroom._

 _Makoto seemed to take it the worst out of all of us. He soon revealed that he and (blank name) knew each other before they even came here, they went to the same middle school together and coming to Hope's Peak Academy rekindled that small friendship. I remember that (blank name) would always say (blank pronoun) was Makoto's sidekick, that and an esper. (Blank name) and (blank pronoun) lame jokes. I can't believe we'll never hear them again."_

 _You only have a few more minutes so make sure you make them count. Remember, your lives on the line too. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Execute-kill, execute-kill._

I noticed that this clue was different from the ones we had been given so far. It sounded more personal and more realistic, almost like it was out of some kind of diary. And it had mentioned someone else, Makoto, Makoto Naegi? That had to have been him, either Monokuma wasn't paying attention when he was writing that clue or he was deliberately trying to give us another lead.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MAKOTO NAEGI

But no matter what the case was, all that mattered was that we were running out of time fast and we still had more questions than answers. 'He's right, we can't lose hope now. We still have more clues to gather and a class trial to win,' I thought to myself.

Yasuke sighed, "Well that was really rough; I feel depressed beyond belief now. But we can't give up, we've still got more work to do."

"Um ex-excuse me? Wh-What was all that at the end? Do y-you guys know?" Chihiro asked.

"We're on sort of a clue related scavenger hunt," Beigoma explained. "Monokuma gave it to us to help us figure out which of the students are dead, and we're narrowing the suspects down quite nicely. That's two more names to strike off the list."

"Monokuma gave this challenge to you?" Cam asked. "Are you sure you can even trust that guy?"

"So far every lead we've gotten from him has panned out," I replied. "It seems, at least for the meantime, he's trying to help us. And by the way Yano-kun there's something we needed to ask you."

"Sure, shoot," he said.

"Do you know anything about fixing cameras? Really sophisticated cameras?" I asked.

"Cameras? Dude, my name is Cam, if I didn't know anything about cameras I'd kind of be a joke."

Jonathan presented Cam with Mahiru's camera. "Whoa, this thing is high-end!" he exclaimed. "It's like a digital camera mixed with an oldies professional one, where'd you find it anyway?" Cam asked.

"It belonged to Koizumi-san, Junmaru-kun found it earlier when we were searching. But it's kind of broken now," I said. "We were wondering if you could fix it."

Cam scoffed. "Hah, I can fix anything with a microchip. Just give me a few minutes and it'll be good as new. I think I have some spare parts for this model in my scrap heap. You guys go ahead and check out that new clue and I'll be right here reviving dead tech." Then he turned to Chihiro. "Chihiro-chan, why don't you go and help them out. I should be able to solve this problem on my own."

"Um, are you sure?" Chihiro asked.

"Yeah, no need to worry. I do appreciate your help with the DVD player situation but I can't be upstaged by my princess all the time, and we're running low on time anyway so I think the more help they get the better. Don't worry, I'll catch up when I'm finished," he said as he smiled at her.

Chihiro blushed and returned his smile. "Oh, okay just don't take too long."

"I promise," Cam said as he flashed her a thumb's up. "Now prepare yourselves to witness the might of the Ultimate AV Technician, as I bring a piece of tech back from the dead. I'll call it Frakencamera, _mwahhahaha_!" And with that ranting he ran off to his desk to get started on fixing the camera.

"Okay, enough fooling around. We're off to the dorms. Let's hurry before it's too late," Yasuke said, rallying us all together.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:45 AM

0:15:00 REMAINING

When we entered the dormitory area we were immediately greeted by the sight of Nagito, Keiko, Nate, and Aya. And they all appeared to be arguing about something. Keiko seemed to be the loudest and most hostile. "And I'm telling you that you are wrong Mr. Nate Baron, with the evidence that I found there's no room for doubt Ms. Toake Yasuhiro is indeed the culprit!"

"And I never said that she wasn't, all I'm saying is I think your personal vendetta against her is clouding your judgment a little!" Nate shouted back at her.

"Baron-san might be right, Akasaka-sempai," Aya cut in. "All we found even saying that she could be related to the crime was that odd ring of hers. I don't think that's enough evidence to accuse her of anything."

"Well we can't just flat out proclaim her to be the killer, not when there's other evidence that's contradictory to the fact," said Nagito. "What about that clue you found in the laundry room Aya-chan?"

"You mean that crystal ball? It was so pretty that at first I thought it might have been a giant pearl. I was about as happy as a clam, or should I say oyster since they're the shellfish who make pearls?" Aya replied with a cheerful giggle.

"And it had blood on it too, right? As did the ring. Look all I'm saying is that since the evidence was planted in all different locations that maybe it's just been faked to begin with. We're getting scared because we're running out of time and it's making us jump to conclusions. We're not even sure if the things you found could be the murder weapons. The Monokuma File said that we should be looking for some kind of knife," Nate replied.

"And you yourself checked the cafeteria, did you not Mr. Nate Baron?! You said all the knives in there didn't have a single trace of blood on them!" Keiko exclaimed.

"That's right the knives inside didn't have any blood not hem, but you're forgetting that I told you that one of the knives appeared to be missing from the shelf. That could be our murder weapon," Nate replied with a calm head.

"Nate-kun does have a point," Nagito cut in.

"You said yourself that one of the knives "appeared" to be missing, you can't know for sure just from an empty space on a shelf! Maybe there was always and odd number of knives, if you can't present the knife then I say that it doesn't exist!" Keiko replied with a not so calm head.

"But then again, Keiko-chan also makes a valid point," Nagito cut in again.

"You all are just blind to the facts! Trust me when I say that Ms. Toake Yasuhiro is cold-hearted and manipulative, this crime is cold-blooded therefore the killer must be as well! Ms. Toake Yasuhiro is guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt and I intend to prove it! She is not dead, you'll see, you'll all see!" And then Keiko walked off with a puff down the dorm room hallway.

Nate sighed in exasperation. "Now I think I can see why she always lost to that Toake chick, she is such a hothead and won't even admit that she could be wrong."

"You're forgetting Baron-san, Ludenburg-sempai was Akasaka-semapai's rival. That means on some level they were also good friends," Aya explained.

"Oh, I didn't know that the term "rival" was another term used for friendship, how fascinating," Nagito said in wonder.

"From the way you're talking it doesn't sound like you have that many friends, Komaeda-san," Aya replied.

Nagito chuckled. "Of course not, who would want to be friends with trash like me?"

"There's that persecution complex, right on time like a damn train schedule," Nate commented.

"I mean, I think of you all as friends but it's absolutely fine if you don't see me in that way. Compared to you all I'm just a worthless student with an equally worthless talent."

"You're a Lucky Student, right?" Nate asked. "That means things often go the way you want them too, what's so worthless about having an awesome talent like that?"

"Trust me, if you had my talent you'd be about as sick of it as I am. My talent is the thing that makes me worthless in the first place, it's brought me nothing but misery and distraught." His words sounded sad and dark but that smile he had plastered on his face said "not to worry and just be happy". Nagito was like a living contradiction.

Nate shrugged his shoulders and replied, "If you say so man, I still don't see a down side though."

Then they finally noticed that we had appeared and Nagito smiled and waved at us with his usual cheery self. "Oh great, the others are here. They might be able to help our dispute."

"Komaeda-kun, did you tell everyone what we found out in the fifth floor classroom?" I asked Nagito.

"Yep, every single one of them except for Izuru-kun. I looked high and low but I couldn't find him anywhere. Have you by any chance seen him?" Nagito asked.

"Yeah, last we saw him he was on the fourth floor and said he was headed to the chemistry lab," Yasuke replied.

"Oh really, well then I better go and tell him right now. Nate-kun and Aya-chan can get you up to speed on what we found, see you guys later." And with a wave goodbye, Nagito ran out of the dorm area and headed back into the school.

"Now what exactly were you fighting about with Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts, Monsieur Dodo?" Connie asked Nate.

"Um, is that supposed to be me?" Nate asked in reply. "Well, Keiko found a clue relating that Toake girl she hates so much and now she's convinced that she's the killer. I was trying to tell her that we can't just jump to conclusions and say that Toake is the culprit but she wouldn't hear any of it."

"They were rivals, remember Baron-san?" Aya asked. "I just think that Akasaka-sempai doesn't want to admit that her rival isn't the killer because then that would mean that she's already…you know…" Aya trailed off.

Nate sighed again. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean if she thinks she's the killer then that would mean she's hoping she's still alive. I guess I can understand that, but still if we don't find out the true identity of the killer then we might end up the same way. Monokuma was serious when he said that he would execute us all if we got it wrong, right?"

"That is what he said, and with what's he's done and shown us so far I don't think he would lie to us now," Beigoma replied.

"B-But if it co-comes down to it and we do get it ri-right, we'll still be the on-ones who are ki-killing, won't we?" Chihiro asked.

"What are you talking about Fujisaki-san? Monokuma will do the killing, not us," I said.

"I mean, that'll be li-like saying to Mo-Monokuma that our li-lives are more im-important than theirs. I a way, won't w-we be the o-ones killing them?"

"Idiot, don't think like that!" Yasuke shouted, making Chihiro cower and whimper in reply.

"Hey dude, you don't ever shout at a girl!" Nate exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter right now! All that matters is survival, living to see another day! And I intend to do that! And if you people can't wise up and do the same thing…" Yasuke sighed and then let go of his anger. "Well then maybe I should take a page from Kamukura and do whatever it takes to win." Yasuke began to walk off on his own down the dorm hallway.

"What, Matsuda-kun where are you going?! Aren't we supposed to be working together?!" I asked.

"I won't work with anyone that has even a hint of doubt in their hearts. You may not be able to see it but I can see it easily, you all have too much doubt inside you. You're too nice for your own damn good. It's time to wake up and smell the blood, we're not a part of our old world anymore. It's kill or be killed, survive or die, do whatever it takes to win or do nothing and lose everything." He shook his head. "Like I said, I have a promise to keep so I can't stay here. I am going to do whatever it takes to get out. I don't care what happens to the killer, I don't care what happens from here on out; I have to get back to "her". I have to get back no matter what the cost. And if you people can't accept that then I'll solve this mystery on my own." And without another word he walked off.

"Do you…think he's right?" Connie asked.

Jonathan scoffed. "I don't know anymore. I want to live too, I want to see my family again but…" then he trailed off.

Nate sighed again. "He makes a good point, even if we don't want to accept what's happening it's still going to happen. The class trial and an execution are already set to occur. The only question is who will die in the end?"

"Ugh, I feel more miserable than a blobfish right now," said Aya.

"It's all my fault. I should have kept my mouth shut," Chihiro reprimanded herself and shed a few tears.

Beigoma wrapped her arms around Chihiro and pulled her into a hug. "No you're wrong, you're not the one at fault here. None of us deserve to be in this mess. All violence consists in some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do – Leo Tolstoy. You're not blame, not Yasuke-kun, or Izuru-kun, and not even Hajime-kun's killer. Monokuma is the only one at fault here."

I nodded in agreement. "Kiyoshi-san's right, and Matsuda-kun and Kamukura-kun are wrong. Showing mercy isn't a sign of weakness. I think it's a sign of strength, we should keep in mind that the killer was just like we are now, scared and afraid. They just didn't think there was any other option left, they watched all their friends die one by one at the hands of the despair inflicted by that little monochromatic bear and his unknown controller. We still need to stand strong and continue to live but it's also important to not lose sight that the killer doesn't deserve to be punished either, the only thing they're guilt of is being forced to do something horrible. We'll get justice for the killer, Hinata-kun, and all the other students who had their lives taken away in this place of nightmares." I realized when I had finished ranting how cheesy that all sounded and I blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry I didn't think any of that out in my head first before I said it."

Beigoma giggled and then she hugged me, which surprised the hell out of me and made my blush deepen. "No don't be sorry, what you said was perfect."

"I feel a lot better now, I'm back to being a betafish, hoorah!" Aya exclaimed in glee.

"I have to admit, I do feel a little more hopeful, nice going Aki," Jonathan commented.

"Tres fantastique, excellent work Monsieur Alice!" Connie exclaimed.

Chihiro dried her tears and gave me a small smile. "Y-You're right, I sh-should stop acting like such a b-baby. We need to f-focus and work together. T-That's the only way w-we're going to get out of here."

Nate chuckled and said, "I got to admit, that was a killer speech dude. Forget Soshun, you should be the Ultimate Student Council President."

"Somebody say something about me?" We all turned our heads to see that Soshun and the others had suddenly arrived as well. He folded his arms and cocked his head to the side, while giving us a questioning look. "I thought I already told you guys, I don't get why I have that as my title either. Now you're making cracks about me behind my back? That's not very nice."

"Whoa, Soshun! Sorry dude, didn't see you walk in," Nate replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Whatever, we just thought we'd come and see how everyone else's investigation was coming along," said Soshun.

"That's right, and I see Maita-kun's been very busy," Micho added as she giggled at my current state.

That's when I noticed that Beigoma was still hugging me tightly. Her eyes were closed and there was a small smile on her face. She looked like she was in her own little world. "Um, Kiyoshi-san?" I whispered to her. "Don't you think it's time to let go?"

Beigoma shook her head. "Just a little longer…Onii-chan."

My eyes widened. "Um, Kiyoshi-san? Earth to Kiyoshi-san?" I tried to wiggle out of her grasp but it turned out that she was surprisingly strong. I looked up at the others. "Um, a little help here?"

"It's best to just wait it out, she'll get tired eventually," said Micho.

"What are you doing?" Nodaka asked sternly. She glared intensely at me. "I thought we were supposed to be investigating, not fooling around, cockroach boy," she said through gritted teeth.

"I-I'm not doing anything on purpose!" I exclaimed as I held my hands up in the air. "She really won't let go."

"Is this about what she said before, you know when she asked you to be her big brother?" Soshun asked.

"I think so, she's really nice she just seems kind of out of it sometimes," I said.

Micho sweatdropped. "I think I know exactly how you're feeling."

Suddenly Azami appeared and let her presence be known with a loud sneeze. "Hiya people hebi!" Then she scratched her nose and giggled. "Someone must be talking about Azami-tan hebi."

Micho facepalmed herself. "This whole day's been really stressful."

I looked back down at Beigoma. "Kiyoshi-san, seriously?! Everyone's starting to show up now!" I whispered harshly.

She was still stuck in her own little world. "No Onii-chan, I don't want to go. I want to stay with you." It was like she was dreaming. But this was just getting awkward as hell.

Nate took pity on me at last and sighed. "Let me see what I can do." Then he came around to Beigoma's back side and grabbed ahold of her waist and pulled, in an effort to pry her off of me. Nate pulled and pulled as hard as humanly possible, but he could not for the life of him pry her off of me. "Dang, this chick's freaking strong!" he exclaimed in disbelief at the amount of force he had to exert. He eventually had to let go because all he was doing was pulling her back far enough to make her arms feel like they were strangling me.

"Stop…stop!" I gasped for breath as my face was turning blue.

Nat immediately stopped pulling and then apologized. "Sorry dude, looks like you're stuck."

"What kind of lame ass excuse is that?! You're a guy aren't you?!" Nodaka exclaimed. "Just yank her off!" She seemed kind of furious.

"Hey I don't want to hurt a girl, that's against my code," Nate replied.

"It's best to just let her stop when she wants to, otherwise we'll end up doing more harm than good," said Soshun.

"Yeah, and it's not like she's hurting anyone. She's just lovingly hugging him," Micho added with a snicker.

"But…but…but…" Nodaka trailed off and slowly let her rage wash over her. And then she glared at me again. "It's just I don't want her be taken advantage of by that filthy cockroach boy!" she exclaimed.

"What?!" I replied.

Nodaka smirked. "I see the way you look at girls, you're nothing but a pervert, admit it. The longer she stays glued to you like that the longer time you have to smell her hair and cop a feel. Someone get her off of him before she gets raped by that despicable piece of human garbage!"

"Enough!" Beigoma exclaimed as she finally let me go. She wore a nasty glare on her face that was matched by an even nastier frown. "Say whatever you want about me but I will not have you insult my Onii-chan you…you…you bitch." It was clearly hard for her to use that kind of language.

Nodaka seemed surprised at Beigoma's comment as did the rest of us. "Wha-What did you call me you little ugly runt?!" she screamed.

"You're just mean and spoiled rotten, Kira Onii-chan's nice and kind, that's I want him to be my big brother. And I won't have you say anything bad about him, and if you do I swear I'll…I'll…I'll…" Beigoma trailed off, you could tell that she was frightened by Nodaka by the way she was visibly shaking. And then tears started to form in her eyes and she began to sniffle loudly. " _Waaah_ , don't make fun of my Onii-chan!" And then she ran to me and then hid behind my back, just as she had done to Mukuro before.

No matter how tough she tried to act it just wasn't in Beigoma's nature to be aggressive, she was too kind and gentle for her own good and every time she tried to prove otherwise she would end up crying and balling just like this. I sighed. 'Geez, these girls are really troublesome,' I thought to myself.

Nodaka giggled at Beigoma's actions. "Serves you right, you little runt. Don't start what you can't finish." Then she glared at me again. "And what the hell are you grinning about? Your little sis is just a crybaby, don't think she'll fight your battles for you. You better man up fast or else one of these days, you might wind up dead just like your buddy."

"Speaking of the murder, I think I have the mystery just about solved." Just then Jose entered the dormitory area as well, with Sawa not far behind him. Jose hadn't changed from when I last saw him in the library, it was like he was now a completely different person.

"I think I have the mystery solved too, I just need a few more clues to confirm," said Sawa.

"Alright now Jo and Saw are here," Jonathan said, "Now we're just missing Muku, Shi, Ya, Ca, Izu, Nag, and Kei, and then we'll have the whole gang back together."

"Pretty much all fish species stick together in schools, so it makes sense that we fish stick together too. The elusive Monokuma sharks are around every corner!" Aya exclaimed.

"Wouldn't sticking together with that point be kind of problematic, Monsieur Monokuma could just eat us all at once, no?" Connie replied.

"The French girl's right, we little fish are doomed!" Aya exclaimed again.

"God, I don't know which one is a more annoying runt, Little Miss Crybaby or Crazy Shark Week over here," Nodaka commented.

"Ah the maid's words sting, she's a very deadly jellyfish," Aya replied. "Don't get close to her unless you want to feel more pain than you've ever felt before. I should know, I've been stung plenty of times by aggressive jellyfish. They're toxin is extremely poisonous and painful."

"Did you just call me a freaking jellyfish?!" Nodaka exclaimed. "That's it!" Nodaka was about to pounce at Aya but luckily she was pulled back by Micho before she could do any real damage. "Let me go pinky, dammit let me go, that fishy little runt is going to get what's coming to her!"

"As a defense attorney I cannot attest to violence, everyone here already thinks you're mean and if you seriously hurt someone it's just going to make things worse for you. Think about your image for a second and calm down," Micho said as she tried to be Nodaka's voice of reason.

"She is a very aggressive specimen of Cnidaria Scyphozoa Aurelia indeed, officer I want her arrested before she tries to sting me or anyone else for that matter with her deadly toxin," Aya said to Micho.

"I'm not a cop, I'm a defense attorney, and you agitating her is only making it worse," Micho replied.

"One punch, just one freaking punch and I'll make that marine geek shut up for good!" Nodaka exclaimed as she tried to struggle against Micho's grip.

"I need some help here," Micho grunted. In reply, Connie and Nate came around to Nodaka's front and tried to get as much space between Aya and her as possible.

"Geez, she's one angry girl. Aya, step back or she might actually try to kill you!" Nate shouted back to Aya.

"She is indeed l'agresseur in this situation, I do not know how much longer I can hold her back!" Connie exclaimed.

"Aki can you talk some sense into her?" Jonathan asked.

"What? Why me?" I replied.

"It's because she responds differently whenever you try to talk to her, all her negativity goes straight to you like some kind of lightning rod. All her anger might be dished out on you instead," said Jose.

"Be careful," said Sawa.

"She l-looks kind of un-unstable," said Chihiro.

"Anytime now! Seriously do anything, it's getting hard to hold her back!" Micho exclaimed.

"Sheesh, Gōsei-chan is really not someone you want to take lightly hebi," said Azami.

Nodaka screamed even louder and then directed her angry gaze at Azami. "I told you I hate freaking nicknames!"

"Sh-She's a freaking monster!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Seriously somebody make her stop, she's gonna hurt someone for real," said Soshun, concern showing in his voice.

"Okay, okay I take it back. Scary, scary Hoshi-sempai is not a jellyfish!" Aya exclaimed in terror.

"Onii-chan do something!" Beigoma exclaimed, tears still gleaming in her eyes.

"Um, alright fine. Hoshi-san?" I called out to her.

Her glare was now directed at me. "What?!" she exclaimed in a harsh voice.

"Um, could you calm down a little? Just a little, please? You're kind of scaring everyone a little bit."

Her glare deepened but she didn't reply.

"Look I'm sure that Kisaragi-san and Jagaimo-chan didn't mean anything by calling you a "jellyfish" and "Gōsei-chan", I know you said that you don't like nicknames or to be teased but it's just in their nature to act that way. They're silly like that; they can't help but act that way. Just like it's in Kiyoshi-san's nature to say quotes and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, or like it's in Historia-kun's nature to write down everything that happens in his journal, and right as I was stating that we all saw that Jose was busy writing in his journal. I think that they're just playful with you because they want to be your friends, right?" I asked Azami and Aya.

"Hoshi-sempai, I'm sorry if you took offense to anything I said," Aya said with a frown. "But…you know something, Maita-san is actually right; I do kind of want you to be my friend. So could we start fresh?"

"Azami-tan's also sorry; she didn't mean to make you upset hebi. She forgot that you hated nicknames hebi. Please don't be mad hebi," said Azami.

Then Nodaka stopped struggling against Micho, Nate, and Connie and settled down. Then she took a few deep breaths and calmed down. "Okay, I'm fine now. You can let me go," she said to Micho, who smiled and released Nodaka's arms. And then Nodaka turned back to face me. She walked closer to me and then calmly looked me straight in the eyes. And then without hesitation…

*sob, sob* Nodaka began to cry. Tears formed in her eyes slowly at first but soon they started to come down like a waterfall. And then she reached pulled me into a hug. I could feel her rubbing her face against my shirt, crying into and making it wet with her tears. "Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?!" she kept repeating over and over again. "Why d-did…th-they have…to die?!"

The memories of our conversation back in the gymnasium came running back to me.

Flashback:

" _But here you are willing to talk to someone," Nodaka snickered. "A sign of weakness. If I were in your shoes I probably wouldn't be willing to talk to anyone, I'd keep all my emotions inside and cork them up real tight in the bottle to make sure they didn't leak out. You're the exact opposite of me cockroach boy, you wear your heart and emotions on your sleeves. No grace or elegance at all."_

I wrapped my arms around her and did my best to comfort her. 'I guess she couldn't take the pressure anymore?' I thought to myself. 'She had to let her feelings out.'

Nobody said anything while Nodaka cried, her sobs and sniffles were the only things that bounced off the thick walls of the large room. Until we had yet another group of arrivals, Cam and Shiro. "Oh there you guys are, good news I was able to fix the ca…!" he exclaimed as he held the camera up in his hands but then he turned quiet when he read the mood of the room.

When Shiro go a look at the situation he pulled Micho aside and then whispered in her ear, "Is No-chan gonna be okay?" he asked.

Micho nodded in reply and said, "She just needs a moment."

After a few more minutes of crying and sniffling, Nodaka calmed down and backed away from me. She desperately tried to dry her eyes and stop more tears from coming out but it seemed hopeless. Then Beigoma handed her a handkerchief. "Here, I use it when I can't stop crying sometimes."

Nodaka hesitated before taking it and drying her eyes. And then she blew her nose to stop the sniffles and when she was content she handed the handkerchief back to Beigoma. "Thank you," Nodaka said.

I looked down at the state of my shirt and saw that it was soaked in Nodaka's tears. Then I looked up and my line of sight connected with Nodaka's. In the short time that I had known her I had thought of her as a tough and take charge girl but for the first time I realized that no matter how tough she was she was still a girl. She was a normal person just like me, when she was angry she acted out – albeit a lot more violently –, when she was happy she showed it with a smile – even if it usually came from mocking someone else –, and when she was sad she cried, cried just like a normal person. I had forgotten she was just like me, and so were the others. The others were just as scared and confused as me, they were just dealing with the situation differently.

"I'm…I'm sorry everyone…" said Nodaka. "I'm not angry at any of you, I shouldn't be, it's just I feel like I need to hit something. Monokuma, he just makes me so mad. He put all those other students through utter hell just so he could get a few laughs. Now I'll never see them again. I'll never see young master Fuyuhiko or Peko-sama ever again."

"Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu? Peko Pekoyama? You knew them Hoshi-san?" I asked.

"I work for the Kuzuryuu family, more specifically for young master Fuyuhiko's sister, Hitomi Kuzuryuu. She's my mistress, I've been with her since I was first able to speak. My job is to be her assistant, bodyguard, and best friend. It wasn't specified, I was just supposed to be by her side, but that's how Hitomi thought of me, and I'm really gracious to her for everything she's done for me over the years. And now, and now I find out that her brother and my mentor are both dead?" She shook her head in disbelief. "It's so surreal, I remember talking to them just this morning before I left; they were wishing me good luck. And then Hitomi, she hugged me like she does every single day and said that if I didn't come back to her soon she might have to send someone to come fetch me using any means necessary. And now two of those people whom I cherished so much are dead? It can't be true. It can't be. Right?" She was worried, extremely worried. I could see it in her eyes, her sturdy wall of isolation and toughness was starting to come crumbling down. But there was one detail that was wrong about her story, the amount of people who were dead.

I, along with Yasuke, Jonathan, Connie, Beigoma, Chihiro, and Cam knew that Hitomi Kuzuryuu was also dead. We heard it straight from her brother's mouth before watching him take his own life. But if Nodaka was indeed as close to Hitomi as she says she was the questions became, should we tell her what happened to Hitomi as well? But even then, admitting that to this girl would make this situation become even more surreal than it already was. 'Could this be some kind of trauma due to grief or…is it possible that she really doesn't know that they are all dead?' I asked myself. Whatever the case, I decided that the best thing to do for now was to stay quiet about Hitomi, and let Nodaka revel in the grace of still having her best friend alive in the world. Learning the truth now, who knows what it would do. It would probably crush her completely. She didn't deserve that, not at all.

"Hitomi Kuzuryuu?" Cam repeated. "Hey isn't she already…" Chihiro cut him off before he could say anything else by covering his mouth with her hand. It looks like the others who saw the video had come to the same conclusion that I did. We would keep the truth from Nodaka a little longer, just in case, by some miracle, that it wasn't really the truth.

"Well, well, well. It looks like a freaking funeral in here." That voice could only belong to one person. We all turned to see Izuru entering the dormitory area, followed closely behind by Nagito. "Never have I seen such a pathetic-looking group of sad sacks in all my life. Who the hell died? Oh that's right twenty-seven students, leaving only one behind, who will also have to die in the end so the rest of us can survive." Izuru sighed. "Ah, so much death. So many mysteries to unravel, only one truth to find. Aren't real life murder mysteries such fun trying to solve? Especially with such big risks on the line? Fun, fun, fun, fun, funny, fun, fun!" He chuckled a little and then sighed in relief. "Ah, I've never felt this alive in my whole life. Yesterday was so boring, no wait scratch that, my whole life before today was boring as hell. Truth be told I contemplate suicide daily just to escape this overwhelming boringness that is life. And low and behold something as fun as this happens. Thank you, Monokuma you have save me from the monotony that is living!" And then he laughed and laughed and laughed. Each laugh increasing in volume and maniacal texture. And then again, almost like flipping a switch, he stopped laughing completely and his normal dour expression returned. "That's enough of that, back to business."

All of us were completely shocked, I had expected Izuru to act somewhat like this considering how he was when we ran into him earlier but it seemed like in that short period of time he had grown to become even more unstable. 'Fun? How can he say that with such a straight face?' I asked myself.

"Dude, dude, dude! Just…dude…" Nate trailed off in shock.

"You can't be serious? You're enjoying yourself? What kind of monster are you?!" Micho exclaimed.

"Ah! Kokushibyou-kun is even scarier than before hebi!" Azami shrieked.

"And those red eyes, Kamukura-san is a vampire squid run for you lives!" Aya screamed.

"Vampire squid, do they suck blood Ay-chan?!" Shiro asked.

"No idiot, she means you should be afraid because of his red eyes and the fact that he's a freaking sociopath!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Monsieur Jabberwock has taken his creepy character too far, enough is enough, no?!" Connie exclaimed.

"Relax. You guys just don't see it," said Nagito, shocking us all. "Izuru-kun is just excited because the two of us figured out who the killer is. There's no room left for doubt, the identity of the killer is…"

That got us all interested, we stopped acting scared and hung off of Nagito's every word.

"A secret."

"What? What do you mean by it's a secret?" I asked Nagito.

"Exactly what the word "secret" means, Akira-kun. The killer is someone whose identity will not be revealed at this point," Nagito explained in simplistic terms. "That's for the class trial, silly. Izuru-kun and I will just have a better advantage in the debate because we already know who the killer is. That's all, no need to worry."

"I don't understand. What are you two creepy idiots talking about?" Jonathan asked.

"Why show a winning hand when the game hasn't even begun? Where's the fun in that? Automatically winning, the people who cheat to win are the real losers, you know. Personally, I wouldn't feel right about telling you who the killer is, that would make things to easy," Izuru stated.

"This is ridiculous, just tell us who you think it is already. Tell us or I will pound both of your faces in!" Nodaka threatened them. It was good to see her back to normal but under the circumstances given to us now our concerns were bigger.

"No need for violence, Nodaka-chan," said Nagito with his usual cheerful smile. "Just wait until the class trial begins then we'll clue you in on who it is."

"I told you not to address me with familiarity, dog boy!" Nodaka exclaimed.

"From the sound of the conversation that you guys were having I thought you already settled those anger issues you have, Nodaka-chan," Nagito said while deliberately repeating the nickname.

"You heard all that, I thought you two dudes were on the fourth floor?" Nate asked in surprise.

"Did you not notice the range of her voice? We heard the whole thing, even her crying at the end," Izuru explained. "Honestly did not see that coming, the so-called tough as nails Yakuza maid is nothing but a scared little girl when push comes to shove."

Nodaka growled. "I will fucking kill you!"

"Now that's not very lady like, if you worked for me I would have you seriously reprimanded for speaking to me in such a vulgar tone. Some maid you are," Izuru replied.

"Now, now, let's all play nice," Nagito said, trying to be the voice of reason…sort of. "I happen to agree with Izuru-kun on this one, not about this all being fun. No. It's just, I want to make sure we hear out each and every story about what happened to the other students. I want to make sure each and every person here is made aware of what they had to endure so we can pass it along. If we just give up the killer then their stories will die with them, now that's not a good way to honor the dead, is it?"

"I guess I see your point, but still that's really twisted reasoning," said Sawa. "You want us to clear each and every suspect before you even consider giving up who the killer is?"

"Yes, but by that point all the smart people here might already be able to figure it out, but if it comes to that point and you're all still clueless we'll clue you in as to whodunit, no matter how boring it may be. My life's still on the line after all," Izuru explained as he shrugged his shoulders.

"As is mine, but no matter what the cost I want everyone here to know the truth behind every single victim who suffered under Monokuma's wrath. We owe it to them to carry their stories," Nagito explained his intentions. "And besides, I still don't know what happened to Mikan-chan, I couldn't find any conclusive evidence about what happened to her. I know she died, but I want to know how and why, I want to know what she was thinking last along with all of my other classmates."

"I gu-guess I can understand that. I w-want to kn-know what hap-happened to my fri-friends too," Chihiro replied.

"So we're in agreement then, no spoilers," said Izuru.

"But…!" Nodaka exclaimed.

"Just go with it, they're not going to give in. We've already established those two are creeps, remember?" Another familiar voice got our attention and we looked back to see that Yasuke and Keiko had reappeared.

"Ya, you change your mind about what you said before. Too bad, we don't need you anymore, idiot. Go off and fly solo like Izu and Nag, you'll just be a creep like them," Jonathan remarked.

"We don't have time to bicker anymore, I came back to tell you that all of you are going to want to see something. Follow us now." There was a commanding tone in Yasuke's voice, and I could tell that whatever he was talking about was very serious.

"He's right, Mr. Yasuke Matsuda and I stumbled across something…disturbing," Keiko said, seeming almost frightened.

"What is it Akasaka-sempai?" Aya asked out of concern.

"You didn't try to rope Yasuke into your revenge case did you Keiko?" Nate asked.

"There' no time," Yasuke repeated, "Come now." And then Yasuke and Keiko turned back around and headed back down the dormitory hallway, beckoning for us all to follow them.

"I wonder what they found," said Micho.

"Something intriguing, you'll see," Izuru replied.

"You already know what's there?" Shiro asked.

"I told you, I already solved the mystery and I passed on what I know to Komaeda-kun who helped me feel in the gaps," Izuru explained.

"So what, are two all buddy-buddy now or something?" Nodaka asked, anger still in her voice.

"I wouldn't go that far, he's useful let's just leave it at that," Izuru commented.

"I'm happy to just be of use to the Ultimate Hope, I long for hope after all, it's a pleasure for someone like me to be of use to someone like him," Nagito belittled himself.

"We can focus on their weird relationship later, let's go check out what Yasuke and Keiko found," said Nate.

With us all in agreement we decided to head after the two of them. While we followed after them I counted everyone in the group at that point. Nineteen, including me. There was only one person left out. Mukuro. I couldn't help but wonder as we were headed to a much larger clue, where could she be?

* * *

A/N: Okay, next chapter the investigation ends with a check of the dormitories and a stumble upon many incriminating clues which will just raise more questions. Mukuro will finally have her spot light and rest assured I've given her a juicy part which I'm sure you will all enjoy. And finally the class trial begins! Get ready for more non-stop debate madness and all the lovable hijinks that class trials entail. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the beginning of the class trial next week. See ya later.


	11. Prologue, Part 9

A/N: First off I'd like to say that I hope you guys had a happy Thanksgiving and are having a relaxing Black Friday. I just had to get the chapter done today because the name of Black Friday just sounds so despairingly evil and fun, even though it's a great time to get holiday deals. Alright then, now on to business.

The long awaited class trial is finally here! And it looks like I've stumped quite a bit of you. Just who is Hajime Hinata's killer, read on and find out. On a good note, looks like I'm pretty good at making mysteries, but the real test is seeing how far I can stick it out. And then on a bad note, this chapter only contains the first part of the class trial since the chapter's already super long. And before I forget, please keep on reviewing and giving criticism to any areas that you think I could improve in and parts that you loved so I can keep in mind what you guys like. And without further ado let's continue our grim mystery, shall we?

When we last left Akira and friends, they were headed off under Yasuke and Keiko's instructions to see a very interesting and peculiar clue. Could this lead to the identity of the killer and shed more light on what happened to the other students?

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 9: The trial of the century**

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:50 AM

0:10:00 REMAINING

The hallway twisted and turned at a ninety degree angle, we passed twenty different rooms that appeared to have name plates on the doors, which seemed rusted and plagued with what looked like years of poor care and maintenance. Some of the doors and the walls themselves looked they hadn't seen the light of day in years, compared to the start of the dormitory area the back halls seemed barren and dusty. I looked back at Jonathan and saw that he had taken notice of it, and it was probably taking every fiber of his being not to jump in and start cleaning. I assumed that the rooms with name plates on them were the rooms that the students were forced to sleep in, although I hardly imagine that any of them did any actual sleeping. Not here, not after seeing their friends killed one after another. All the name plates on the doors were impossible to read what with the accoutrement of rust and age, all except for one, a room marked with a name plate that read:

 _M. Naegi_

Yet another clue relating to Makoto. He was involved in this in a big way from what I could tell. That had to have been his room and that made me guess that the other nineteen belonged to the other surviving students. But it was just one now, which meant that the identity of the killer was hidden in one of those rooms. But Yasuke and Keiko took us past the dormitory rooms, and we rounded another corner until we finally stopped in front of another room. The door was white, pure and almost angelic white and the sign on it read:

 _Final Destination_

The words filled me with a bit of hope, to me it felt as good as a flashing neon exit sign, and I saw out of the corners of my eyes that a lot of other people were thinking the same thing. 'Could this be the thing that Yasuke and Keiko wanted to show us? Did they find a way out?' I asked myself.

Yasuke hesitated before grabbing ahold of the doorknob and opening the door. The moment the door was opened a light inside the room flickered to life, and then continued to flicker and buzz throughout. The neurologist motioned for us all to step inside and once we set foot into the room our hope was immediately filled with dread. The room was completely made out of stone and iron, it looked sort of like a bomb shelter. The whole room, including the floor and the ceiling, was covered in hundreds…thousands…millions…maybe even billions of time hash marks. Some were written on the walks with multicolored chalk, some were etched into the walls themselves, and some even appeared to be drawn with blood. And at the very back of the room there was a large bronze plaque bolted into the wall that read:

 _In the beginning hope will flourish and positive thoughts will spread. Friends will cherish one another and live in harmony with the hope of brighter world beyond these walls in their hearts. There is no outside these walls, all that is remains is despair. All that remains for you is despair. No matter how hard you try, no matter how long you wait, no one is coming to save you. Your lives as you knew them are over, either except the new world you've been given or break the bonds you've made to try and return to your world. The only way out is through death. That is the ultimate despair._

"What…what is this place?!" I asked in terror.

"It's the exit, the only exit by the looks of it," said Yasuke.

"Exit, but I don't see any door leading out. There's no even a window in here," said Shiro.

"There's instructions though that tell you how to leave," said Micho. "The only way out is through death. Death of a friend or your own death."

Beigoma walked up to one of the walls of hash marks and rubbed it gently with her hand. "They marked every single minute of every single day. Those poor kids."

I looked around the room for any kind of solace in this overwhelming despair and then finally I found the proverbial diamond in the rough. The one glint of hope in this whole despair ridden room. A heart. It was hidden among thousands of chalk hash marks and with it also being drawn in chalk it was kind of hard to make out at first but there was no doubt about it. It was one of those confession hearts like you sometimes see little kids making in sappy dramas. There was two sets of initials strung together by a plus sign and surrounded by a large heart with an arrow running through it. The heart read:

 _H. H. + (blank). (blank)._

 _Out of this tragedy our romance blossomed and then went into full bloom. I love everything about you, your smile, your voice, your laugh, your hair, and the cute way you say things without necessarily meaning them. If even just one good thing came out of all of this it was the chance to meet you. I love you with all my heart (blank name), no matter what happens always remember that. – Hajime H._

It appeared that someone had erased the parts about the other person. 'Gee, I wonder who that could have been,' I thought to myself sarcastically, knowing full well who the perpetrator was. I decided to focus on the one readable name. 'H. H.? Hajime Hinata?' I wondered.

Izuru came up from behind me and noticed that I was staring at the chalk heart. "Hmm, it looks like your friend might've gotten busy during his incarceration here. What do you think?" he asked.

"If that is true, then at least on some level he was happy," I replied.

Then Izuru snickered. "Yeah, if you're going to be forced to live in a place for your whole life unless you kill someone I guess you would have to make this madness feel like everyday life. I wonder if they or anyone else had any kids while they were here."

That surprised me. "What are you talking about?! Even if they…you know…they were only in here for a couple of days that would be medically impossible wouldn't it?!"

Izuru snickered again. "Yeah I guess you're right, I guarantee some of them did "it" but they definitely didn't have enough time. Definitely not enough time."

He just kept getting weirder and weirder. I was sure that he was trying to tell me something but for the life of me I couldn't figure out his cryptic words. Izuru Kamukura was just one big enigma wrapped up in several riddles. "Hey guys, what are you talking about?" Nagito suddenly appeared and asked.

"The facts of life, apparently Maita-kun's not that familiar with them," Izuru replied.

"What I…?!"

"You don't know Akira-kun?" Nagito asked with a surprised look. "Don't worry, I'll tell you. You see when a mother and a father love each other very much they sometimes…"

"No! God no, I don't need to hear this!" I exclaimed.

"It's the miracle of life, albeit what some people consider a sin of the flesh at first. But love is a volatile thing, you can't help who catches your interest," said Izuru. "Take Komaeda-kun here for example, he's probably been pushed around most of his school life for his beliefs and yet he still shows a smile everywhere he goes, especially with how ugly he looks."

"It's true, I'm a horrible, ghastly, insignificant, waste of space but I don't let it get me down," Nagito added cheerfully.

The two boys of hope had a really interesting and odd abuser-abusee relationship going on. "I feel like you're too quick to judge yourself Komaeda-kun, and what did Kamukura-kun mean when he said you got pushed around for your beliefs?" I asked.

"You don't know that either? I thought I was pretty obvious, but I don't want to make things awkward between us or anything…should I really tell you?" Nagito asked in reply with an unsure look.

"It might be amusing, I'd do it just to have some fun at his expense," said Izuru.

"No, no, no. There's nothing to be made fun of here, I'm perfectly content with who I am. My sexuality has nothing to do with how I see myself. I already know I'm trash, putting a label on me won't do anything," Nagito replied.

"Sexuality?" I repeated in confusion. And then my eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god, you're…you're…" I was stuck in a loop.

"That's right, I'm gay. I like guys, nothing wrong with that, right?" Nagito asked with his usual smile. "But I'm kidding though, you can be as uncomfortable around me as you want. Heck if it makes you feel any better I don't mind if you want to chuck rocks at me or anything either."

"No I don't want to do that!" I exclaimed. "Did other kids seriously do that to you at your old school?"

"Some of the meaner ones but they just didn't know what to think about me. No big deal."

"Yes, I'm sure that is a pretty big deal."

"Do my ears deceive me? Mr. Nagito Komaeda is coming out?" Keiko asked in surprised. "Yes, I was right!" she exclaimed. "Oh darn it all, I should have put money on it when I was so sure. Oh well, there's still one pony left to bet on I guess."

"That's kind of a horrible thing to say," I said.

"But I'm totally fine with it," said Nagito.

I turned to Nagito and sweatdropped. "You know it's possible to have skin that's too thick. It's really not a good thing to be okay with nasty comments."

Nagito shrugged. "I just don't let it bother me. Sticks and stones, you know?"

"But you just said that you don't mind being hit by rocks," I replied.

Nagito stroked his chin to show that he was thinking. "Hmm, I guess you're right. Why don't I one up it then? Aha, I've got the perfect one for me. Weapons and raw emotions may cause me death but names and smaller acts of violence will never hurt me. What do you think, is it good enough for adults to start using it for lectures?"

"You are a very dark person, Nagito Komaeda," I replied with a sweatdrop.

"Um, thanks I guess?" Nagito replied with a smile.

"So what do you guys think?" Yasuke asked all of a sudden, getting everyone's attention.

"It's very creepy in here, I'll give you that but what does this have to do with the mystery?" Nodaka asked.

Yasuke sighed and then turned to face the door, acting like whatever he had to show us he didn't want to lay eyes on again. "Near the back wall, there's a hidden button. Press it."

I looked for the hidden button as specified and felt up the back wall to see if I could notice any out of place structural details. And then I found it, the button was stone gray in color and blended in with the walls. Then I noticed that there was a small chalk drawn circle around it and a sloppy bit of handwriting that blended in with the time hash marks. It read:

 _Press Me!_

I hesitated before blindly pressing it. I could feel a chill run up my spine as soon as I saw the words.

"Careful Aki," Jonathan warned.

"Just in case it's a trap, don't make any sudden movements," said Micho.

I took a deep breath before extending my right pointer finger out and pushing the button further into the wall. There was a loud *click* like a door had been unlocked and then a *beep* and then suddenly the wall opened like it was a door. Another room, and it smelled putrid in there. My eyes widened in recognition of that foul stench. The stench that I was forced to endure as I stared at Hajime for the last time. This was the stench of death. A light flickered on in the small room as well and that's when I saw them all lying there. All twenty-six of them. I let loose a scream louder than I thought could be humanly possible and collapsed to the floor, while my eyes widened in terror and forbid me from looking away. The others were confused by my reaction at first and one by one they all took a peek inside the room, and then one by one they faces grew with shock and terror.

"No way…!" Micho gasped as she cupped her hands over her mouth in terror.

"This is a joke, right?!" Nate asked with a twitching smile. "It's got to be a joke! There's cameras everywhere so maybe we're on a candid camera show! Please god someone tell me we're on a damn candid camera show!" he shouted as he pulled at his hair.

Azami screamed. "Even more bad thoughts hebi! Azami-tan hates nightmares hebi! Wake up, wake up hebi!" she said as she held her head in disbelief.

"I…I…I…I need a second," said Jonathan as he backed away from the hidden room, looking sick as a dog. He was probably going to hurl big time.

"No…" Beigoma whispered as she started to whimper and cry.

Jose flinched for a second in surprise but after that he seemed calm and relaxed. He began to write in his journal again he was so calm.

"I can't…I can't…I can't…" Aya seemed to be in a loop and then she suddenly fainted from shock. Luckily, Keiko caught her before she could fall to the floor and hurt her head.

Chihiro wrapped her arms around Cam's waist and cried and shook like a leaf while Cam just stared at the room with his mouth agape in shock.

Nodaka shook in tremors and then leaned against the wall and slid down it and collapsed to the floor. Her face was ridden with disbelief.

"My god, c'est terrible!" Connie whispered to herself.

Soshun shook in tremors and tried to calm himself down by rubbing his arms up and down with his hands like he was cold. He took deep breaths like he was hyperventilating, a clear sign that he wasn't taking this that well.

"Hina-chan. Hina-chan. Hina-chan…" Sawa repeated over and over again as tears filled her eyes.

Shiro had a gloomy looked on his face and he shook his head in disbelief as he pinched his forehead.

Nagito seemed taken aback but not all that shocked and Izuru looked completely emotionless, it was like the two of them were expecting to find this. And Yasuke just shook his head and looked down at the floor and sighed.

"We can't deny it anymore," said Yasuke. "This is the final destination for anyone who gets involved in this game. Death is the only escape, murder or suicide, take your pick. The sick fuck behind the cameras is playing with us like we're his toys, seeing us paranoid and jumpy, untrusting and on edge, it's exactly what he wants." He sighed again. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, doubt may not be the best thing to have in here but it's become apparent now that if we all don't stick together we're going to end up like them one way or another. From now on we don't trust a word of what Monokuma says, he'll just try to play more mind games with us. We pretend to go along with the game and in the meantime we look for another way out."

"Now you don't want to play the game? Make up your mind already, I thought you were on my side for crying out loud," Izuru replied.

"Are you seriously still saying that after seeing this?" Yasuke asked in confusion.

"I've already seen this place," Izuru replied unexpectedly, shocking us all.

Even with my mind almost completely shattered I managed to be coherent enough to blurt out, "Wh-What?!"

"I discovered this place a while ago, and I also searched every room in the dormitory. There were some pretty interesting clues in there, this though…this was the grand jewel of this Murder Mystery Tour. The final destination room, otherwise known as the end of the line for anyone stupid enough to fall into despair. Monokuma appeared and told me about it earlier," Izuru explained.

"I think I'll take over from here Izuru-kun, just sit back and listen like the other good little boy and girls, wouldja?" He was back again. We all turned to see that Monokuma had appeared in the room's doorway. "Welcome, to the highpoint of our tour, the final destination room! It's sort of a museum dedicated to all the lovely despair that students under my care have encountered through the years."

"Museum? What do you mean by museum? And what's with using the term "years", they were only here for a little while, right?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Right, right, sorry slip of the tongue. Won't happen again. Anyway, as I was saying before Akira-kun so rudely interrupted me, the final destination room is a museum of sorts dedicated to the participants of my games. But you guys only saw the main attraction, you skipped the rest of the exhibits. Izuru-kun, if you please?" Monokuma asked.

"No problem at all." Izuru walked to the opposite side of the room and flipped the light switch again, but instead of turning off the lights, he flipped the switch up and down three times and then all of a sudden the ground started to shake beneath our feet and the floor started to slide into the wall like it was some kind of panel, and then a white and black checker tiled floor took its place. Then the walls started to shift and they were replaced by black and white walls that were lined with pictures and glass cases. And then finally the ceiling was replaced with a luxurious looking chrome ceiling that had a crystal chandelier dangling down from it. The only thing that had not changed was the hidden room, it looked exactly the same, corpses and all.

Monokuma did a quick costume change and now wore a white dress shirt, a red tie, a brown tweed jacket, a pair of black trousers, and a pair of scholarly glasses. "Welcome to the _Final Destination Murdermobilia Museum_! Our philosophy is that the more students know about killing despair the more likely they are to be filled with despair. I am your docent Monokuma, please feel free to look around to your hearts' content but be quick about it, my sources tell me that your group is due in the trial grounds in eight minutes for a class trial. Lucky you, that was my other group's favorite part of the tour. But until then please enjoy our other wonderful exhibits such as our collection of murder and suicide weapons, personal objects of the deceased, a star tours guide to the dorm rooms of the deceased as well as an explanation on what makes each room unique, and of course everyone's favorite exhibit, the _Bloody, Bloody, Corpse Party_ room where you can get an up close and personal look at the decaying remains of the students. Enjoy!" Monokuma then disappeared again, leaving us alone in the strange museum.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: FINAL DESTINATION MUSEUM

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: FINAL RESTING PLACE

"This really is all just a game to him, isn't it?" Micho asked in disgust.

"This goes beyond the depths of a simple sociopath, whoever is controlling Monokuma has a strong belief that that they are god himself. In their eyes human beings are nothing more than playthings that they can break and then throw away like trash when they get tired of them," Yasuke explained.

"Another person thinks I'm trash too?" Nagito asked. "I knew I couldn't be alone."

"I'm not even going to try anymore dude, he's just too far gone," said Nate.

"So what do we do now?" Sawa asked.

"We investigate, what we've been doing all along, duh," Izuru replied. "And if you want my advice on where to search since I already know who the killer is I'd grab one of the maps and start searching rooms, the rest of this place is a freaking tourist trap, all its missing is a gift shop." Then he chuckled, "Well I guess there's one exhibit that might be interesting though. I'm out of here." Izuru then walked off from the rest of us, I assumed we'd see him again when he wanted to see us again.

"You're not going with him, Nag?" Jonathan asked. "Aren't you BFF's now or something?"

"Izuru-kun likes to be alone, and I for one want to check this place out so it's okay if we're splitting up," Nagito replied.

"You sound like you're in a committed relationship," Nodaka commented.

"Here's hoping," Nagito replied as he crossed his fingers.

"Sick," Nodaka replied.

And then all of a sudden Aya started to stir again. "Anyone got any smelling salts?" she asked as she sat up with a groan. Then she yawned and stretched out her arms. "Ugh, I had the weirdest dream, you guys were in it. We had been tricked into coming to Hope's Peak Academy and a lot of weird things happened, we were kidnapped by this robot teddy bear who killed a bunch of other students and declared us to be his next vic…" Aya stared at the room we were in, "…tims. It wasn't a dream was it?" We all shook our heads in reply. She groaned and said, "Dammit."

"I guess we still have work to do," said Micho.

"Then let's get to it, our lives are on the line too," said Shiro.

And then just like that we were back to work. 'We have to win,' I thought to myself. 'If we don't its game over for us too and then we'll end up just like that. I have to stay positive, keep thinking that there's a way out of here. Never lose hope.' Myself convinced I decided to get back to investigating, and despite Izuru's advice I decided to start with the final destination room. I looked around the room and saw tons of framed pictures of the students and even more framed portraits of Monokuma, whoever he was he loved himself too much that was for sure. The first exhibit was a set of belongings that belonged to each of the students. Some were in glass cases and other were articles of clothing that were hung on mannequins.

Nothing really seemed to be out of order for each student and the things in their sections were things you would expect them to have. Baseball gear for Leon Kuwata, merit badges and school supplies for Kiyotaka Ishimaru, kimonos and hand fans for Hiyoko Saionji, music equipment and an electric guitar for Ibuki Mioda, galge games and doujinshi for Hifumi Yamada, a set of tools for Kazuichi Soda, and so and so on. There was even a section for the Ultimate Impostor but the objects inside their case were just normal generic things that could belong to anyone, there wasn't even an outfit on their mannequin. However, I did notice that six sections of the exhibit appeared to have been tampered with. There was either a spot that looked like something was supposed to be there in the storage cases or a missing article of clothing on the mannequins.

The tampered sections were for Gundam Tanaka, Byakuya Togami, Aoi Asahina, Mahiru Koizumi, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Makoto Naegi. I couldn't be sure about what was missing from Byakuya's, Kyoko's, or Gundam's sections, but for Mahiru's I was sure it was her camera, and for Aoi's I was sure it was her swimsuit. And as for Makoto Naegi there were two things his mannequin was missing that definitely didn't seem right, his hoodie and his shoes, Makoto's hoodie wasn't on his mannequin. I looked back at all the other mannequins and saw that they were wearing the student's usual outfits. 'Weird. Why is Makoto's the only one who's different?' I asked myself. Someone had definitely been in here and taken a few things. But who? The killer?

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MUSEUM THEFT

Next I decided to look at the collection of murder and suicide weapons, and just like I thought only a few of the weapons had nameplates on them that said who they killed, the rest were just dangerous objects under glass. 'Couldn't make it easy, could you eh Monokuma?' I asked myself as I sweatdropped. The first thing I saw was a revolver gun. The nameplate read:

 _One shot to live, one shot to die. One of the few weapons put into the classroom test for the students to kill each other with. This revolver was only equipped with one bullet, made specifically for one quick kill or a good old-fashioned game of Russian roulette. On Day 4 Gundam showed that he had guts by sacrificing himself at the chance of luck. Luck just wasn't on his side…or maybe it was, depending on how you look at it._

AMMUNITION UPDATED: GUNDAM TANAKA

The next case had a pair of peculiar and extremely sharp-looking scissors inside of them. The nameplate read:

 _Behold the mighty Genoscissors, preferred murder weapon of notorious serial killer Genocide Jack. Many handsome young men have fallen victims to these bladed babies and they tasted lots of blood. But unfortunately their fun was cut short when Genocide Jack's downer alter ego Toko Fukawa decided to end her pain and suffering by killing them both and stabbing herself with the sharp things. As you can expected everyone was surprised to find out that the bookish and gloomy girl they knew was a serial killer but you what they say, out of the blackest clumps of carbon beautiful diamonds emerge. Especially blood diamonds._

AMMUNITION UPDATED: TOKO FUKAWA

Then there was a case that had a large book in it. I was surprised to see a book as a murder weapon but it made more sense why it was part of the collection when I read the nameplate:

 _Now this was a truly ingenious suicide thought up by Byakuya Togami, the absolutely perfect boy. Byakuya had a fond interest in murder mysteries so he thought if he was going to leave the world of his own accord then he would do it in a style perfectly fit for this murder mystery game. He laced the pages of this book he was reading with poison and absorbed it through his skin. It took a while for the other students to figure out how he died exactly, much less that it was suicide. Truly a genius till the end._

AMMUNITION UPDATED: BYAKUYA TOGAMI

The next murder weapon was a microphone with a burned out electrical wire. The nameplate read:

 _While performing a song to raise up their spirits about losing their first friend outside that warzone of a classroom, Ibuki Mioda planned to commit suicide herself for a reason that was never revealed. Perhaps she just couldn't take it and all her happiness and carefree attitude was just a ploy. No one really knows._

AMMUNITION UPDATED: IBUKI MIODA

The next murder weapon was a large empty pill bottle. I frowned and recognized the murder weapon. The nameplate read:

 _Mahiru Koizumi and Hiyoko Saionji were good friends with each other, after already losing one of their best friends earlier due to a tragic incident they along with their other two friends Ibuki Mioda and Mikan Tsumiki were forced to play Monokuma's game with the other students. However, after escaping the classroom of death Ibuki, probably the most high-spirited of the group surprised everyone by taking her own life through and elaborate electrocution. Poor Mahiru and Hiyoko just weren't strong enough to deal with the overwhelming emotions that this game requires so they took the coward's way out and popped a load of pills to overdose. This was the worst case of death in this whole game, there wasn't even anything to investigate. It was very clearly a suicide._

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MAHIRU KOIZUMI AND HIYOKO SAIONJI

The next murder weapon was a series of electric wire that was wrapped up into a noose. The nameplate read:

 _Kazuichi Soda was under far too much pressure to be a reliable means of exit, but the other students just kept on pushing him to build them a means of escape. He was determined at first but slowly the overwhelming hopelessness of their situation sank into him and it forced him to remove himself from the equation. He tied the cord around the railing of the catwalk in the physics lab and then tied the noose around his neck. One jump and then a snap of the neck._

AMMUNITION UPDATED: KAZUICHI SODA

And then I noticed something odd about the last five cases, they were all empty except for one which had an open top. Two of them had nameplates on them though:

 _This was a survival knife used by a student known as the Ultimate Soldier, it was a perfect fit for a weapon to use in the classroom test. But Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu used it after the classroom test when things were all hunky-dory. Why? Because he had too many interpersonal relationships. His friend Peko Pekoyama was one of the eight sacrificed in the classroom test, and Fuyuhiko himself had already committed a murder before he was entered into the game. There was just too much guilt for him to bear all at once, so he committed harakiri with the knife and carved his guilt out of his stomach._

Only there was no knife in the case.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: FUYUHIKO KUZURYUU

And then the second case's nameplate read:

 _Here lies the sword of the great Ultimate Swordswoman herself. When Peko Pekoyama wasn't looking I swapped her dumb wooden practice sword for a real one made out of the strongest steel, being a swords master and all she could have easily wielded it and decapitated each and every student in there but she didn't do that. She used that lovely sword I gave her to commit harakiri and gained a noble samurai's death, so the beautiful weapon went to a complete waste. I hate that noble protecting bitch._

Peko's sword was sheathed inside its display case as well as the Shinai bag that was used to carry it. The only odd thing was that the display case's top was opened up.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: PEKO PEKOYAMA

Nodaka saw the sword as well and stared at it with a longing look in her eyes. "Peko-sama's sword," she said and then she lifted the sheathed sword out of the display case and held it in her hands horizontally. She was about to cry again but she stopped herself before she could and only let her eyes shed one single tear. Then Nodaka read the nameplate and glared at the display case. "I hate that dumb bear. Disrespecting Peko-sama that way. She's a true hero and nothing less, who does he think he is?" she asked rhetorically.

"That's right. Hoshi-san you said Pekoyama-san was your mentor, right?" I asked.

Nodaka nodded and replied, "She taught me everything I know about the Kuzuryuu family, her being an outsider herself, and she even taught me a little swordplay, although I was never a real match for her. I owe everything I have to her, mistress Hitomi, and the Kuzuryuu family. If it wasn't for them I'd probably have died a long time ago, they took me in when no one else would and that's why I'm so loyal to them. And that's why I'm taking this sword." Nodaka reached into the display case and grabbed the Shinai bag as well and then stuffed the sword in the bag and pulled the bag's strings tight. "I'm not letting Monokuma disrespect the Kuzuryuu family anymore, when we get out of here I'll have mistress Hitomi personally sick the family assassins on whoever is controlling that little menace."

I frowned a little but not enough that she noticed anything. "Hey Hoshi-san…about Hitomi Kuzuryuu-san…um, you see…" I wanted to tell her so bad but that hopeful look she had just drew me in.

"Yeah, spit it out cockroach boy. What about my mistress?" Nodaka replied.

I forced my frown into a smile. "Um, I'd love to meet her some time if we ever get the chance," I lied.

"You want to look upon my mistress' beauty? Be forewarned she rejects any and all suitors and then that's when I get to play with them and break their bones," she said in a sweet and innocent voice.

"Yeah…don't worry I'll be careful," I replied uneasily.

"Don't start slacking off now," Nodaka said as she slung the Shinai bag over her shoulder. "We need to avenge Peko-sama and young master Fuyuhiko before we leave. So you better prepare yourself for a fight against Monokuma and whoever's controlling him."

"Don't worry, we'll get 'em."

The final three cases in the weapons exhibit were completely empty but from the looks of the inside of the cases one of them housed something spherical, another housed something very tiny, and the last one housed something very big. But they weren't very helpful clues since I didn't know what they were. "Oh well, I think that does it for this room. I better go check out the dorm rooms. I grabbed one of the tour maps that Monokuma talked about earlier and then headed back out into the hallway. I opened the map and then read over the contents. Inside the pamphlet tour map there was a diagram of the dormitory hallway that showed the dorm rooms, the trash room, the laundry room, the cafeteria, and the bath house. There also appeared to be a second floor to the dormitory but it appeared to be sealed off as specified by the map. The dorm rooms pictured in the diagram had little pop-up signs that said the name and location of the room, all without having the name of the student who lived there or mentioning them with any description at all. It appeared that finding out who lived in each room was going to be easier said than done. The rooms were each given special names and went as follows from the final destination room:

 _Room No. 1:_ _The Pop Goes the Weasel room – has been completely refurbished since the occupant's untimely demise and has a radio inside that plays some of the best pop music of today on a recurring loop. Enjoy listening to music while you search for clues and checking out the famous bathroom of horrors._

 _Room No. 2:_ _The Black Night room – if you're into witches and vampires then this is the room for you, there's tons of talismans and interesting trinkets that will creep you out in a good way. It's also a nice place to drink tea in solitude and quiet as the previous occupant enjoyed their privacy._

 _Room No. 3:_ _The Tai-Chi room – a room that's very Feng Shui will make you feel ten times more empowered and enlightened. One visit in this room and you will feel like you can wrestle five tigers at once. I suggest any nervous nellies go here to pump themselves up for the class trial. _

_Room No. 4:_ _The Beautiful Darkness room – there's tons of cute clothes to play dress up in as well as a lot of cuddly stuffed animals to play with. However, there's a sort of creepy and crazy vibe about the room. Anyone's guess as to why?_

 _Room No. 5:_ _The Two-Faced room – everything is half and half! One side of the room is neat and organized, the other side is chaotic and messy. One side has lots of romance novels and the other side has lots of ero manga (mostly BL though). Enjoy!_

 _Room No. 6:_ _The Overly Sporty room – there's sport supplies and work out equipment everywhere. If you don't like working out in public this is a great place for you. We even have a punching bag to let out your aggression and a balance beam to work on your dexterity and flexibility._

 _Room No. 7:_ _The Psychedelic room – we've stepped back into the world of the weird. Thousands of bizarre objects and lots of talismans as well. You also will be able to feel a strange energy, is it a connection to the spirit world?_

 _Room No. 8:_ _The Profound Scholarly room_ – _the whole room is covered with books, if you like reading this is the place for you. You just might have to live with the fact that thousands of books falling on top of you all at once while you sleep will indeed kill you. Learning hurts!_

 _Room No. 9:_ _The Permanently Reserved room – this room is almost impressively bland and exceptionally neat. Not a thing seems out of place and there's absolutely no way of telling who lived there before. This room could have belonged to anyone, or just someone who didn't like to show their emotions to others._

 _Room No. 10:_ _The Stir-Fried room – this room always has a mouth-watering smell about it, clearly the previous occupant made lots of tasty treats inside. Also feel free to enjoy the free samples inside._

 _Room No. 11:_ _The Pretty Pixels room – if you want some eye candy then you'll find it in this room. Here we offer you the chance to see hundreds of thousands of photos of different people and locations. You yourself might even be among the bunch._

 _Room No. 12:_ _The Backstage Access room – here we offer you the chance to rock out with a multitude of instruments. Do you like guitar, base, keyboard, or maybe the drums is more your style? No matter how you choose to rock out feel free to be as loud as you want, the rooms are soundproof anyway._

 _Room No. 13:_ _The Blooming Petals room – does anyone like going to shrines? Well you'll love this room, there's even a location for you to make a wish or two._

 _Room No. 14:_ _The Hardcore room – do you like excitement? Booming metal music that will make you eardrums bleed? Lifting weights and getting ripped? Then get your asses over here and get hardcore!_

 _Room No. 15:_ _The Workshop room – do you think you have what it takes to be an inventor? Come on down here to test your skills with machinery and build something really impressive._

 _Room No. 16:_ _The Lovey-Dovey room – a room that will leave you with a sickingly sweet aftertaste in your mouth. I personally wouldn't recommend this room._

 _Room No. 17:_ _The room of Badassity – guns, knives, money, drugs, and women. If you've got a vice then this is the place for you. Live it up like you're the fucking king of the world!_

 _Room No. 18:_ _The Unknown room – unknown, figure it out for yourselves._

 _Room No. 19:_ _The Boring room – the room of a perfectly average high school boy._

 _Room No. 20:_ _The Boring-er room – the room of an even more boring high school boy._

I sighed and sweatdropped at the names of the rooms. 'He can't take anything seriously, can he? Oh well, I've got to check out all the rooms just to be safe. The identity of the killer is hidden somewhere in the dorms, I just know it.' So I gathered up my courage and then ventured into the room nearest me. The Pop Goes the Weasel room.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:54 AM

0:06:00 REMAINING

As soon as I entered the room I was automatically met with the sweet smell of lilac and the sweet sound of one of famed pop idol Sayaka Maizono's songs: _Heart Light Connection_. At first look the room looked pretty plain, the walls were pink so it was pretty easy to guess that a girl slept here, and judging by the music it was pretty easy to guess that this was Sayaka's room. Then I heard someone rummaging through the bathroom and took a peek inside the door to see who was inside. I was greeted with the sight of Yasuke who was looking through the bathroom's medicine cabinet. When he saw me he said, "Hey, found anything yet?"

I nodded in reply. "Yeah a few things. What are you up to?" I asked.

"I'm not creeping or anything if that's what you're asking," he replied. "I'm looking for the next clue for the scavenger hunt, remember?"

I thought back to the last clue we found in the AV room and then remembered that it mentioned a person dying in a bathroom by stabbing themselves with a knife. "Oh yeah, any luck?"

Yasuke shook his head. "No, and this is the last one too. I already checked all the other ones and I didn't find a thing." Then he sighed and ceased his searching. "But since we're almost out of time anyway I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Spoken like a true loser." There he was again, trying to rain down on our parade. We turned around and saw him sitting on Sayaka's old bed. "Do you want to know a secret?" he asked innocently. But I had a feeling we wouldn't like the answer. "I got bored so I decided to stop playing. That was your last clue, deal with it. The last two people you'll learn about from me are Blankity Blank and Makoto Naegi."

Yasuke scowled at Monokuma. "What are you talking about? You can't just jerk us around for nothing like that."

"I can and I did. What you didn't think I was going to give you every answer did you?" Monokuma asked. "That's stupid, no one wants to play a dumb mystery game where an NPC give you all the answers. Where's the damn challenge in that?!"

"For the last time this isn't a game!" Yasuke exclaimed. "These are our lives you're playing with here!"

Monokuma chuckled and held his paws over his mouth. "Says the ancillary main-ish character."

"You planned to do this from the beginning, didn't you?" I asked.

"A big bingo for the Wannabe, seems like he gets it. I give you hope by filling you with answers and helpful hints and then in one fell swoop I deny giving you anything else and fill you with despair! Oh no, we have to figure things out on our own now!" Monokuma mocked. "Oh god, someone please help us, the bear is making us think! Well tough luck sissies, you can just deal with it."

Yasuke sighed. "I should've known better then to trust you. Fine then, but can you at least tell us the identity of the person who stabbed themselves in the bathroom?"

"You tell me. Which person in the group do you think had a heart that was so honest and pure that was only matched by a beautiful voice?" Monokuma asked.

I asked my other self the same question and then replied. "The Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono, right?"

"That's two gold stars for the Wannabe, bravo!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Sayaka-chan wanted to get out here more than anyone, she couldn't bear the thought of her friends from her idol group leaving her behind as she rotted away in this hopeless place. But with the only way out being through murder or suicide she was trapped between a rock and a hard place. She already watched eight of her friends sacrifice themselves for her and the others sake so she couldn't bear the thought of anymore blood being shed over her, so she decided to remover herself from the equation instead. Even the hope-filled pop star couldn't escape my wonderful despair in the end. What chance do you pitiful boys have, eh?"

"I have another question. Why did you mention Naegi-kun in the clue you gave us anyway? And it's the same thing with the nameplates on the doors, his is the only one that's still readable. Is Naegi-kun significant in some way?" I asked.

Monokuma chuckled again. "Wouldn't you like to know? I could tell you that it was just a freebie but I think we'd both know that isn't the truth so I'll act like Sayaka-chan and remove myself from the equation instead. Toodles!" And then Monokuma ran out the door without another word.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: SAYAKA MAIZONO

"He's going to keep playing us till the very end," Yasuke said and then sighed. "But why the sudden interest in Naegi, Maita? You think he might be Hinata's killer?"

"I'm not sure, it's just everything I've come across keeps pointing to him. But there's other things too, factors that make it impossible to determine anything. How can we even be sure if what Monokuma showed us all this time was real?" I asked.

"We can't be, but you saw Hinata's body and the undiscernible remains of the others. I don't think he could just make up that, not with how realistic they were," Yasuke replied.

"Yeah I guess you're right," I said and then I sighed. "Do you think we'll really make it out of here?" I asked him.

"We better, otherwise another group of kids will end up like us. We've got to stop this once and for all, are you with me?" he asked.

I nodded. "I'm with you till the bitter end." And then we both exited the room and went our separate ways. There wasn't enough time to check all the rooms, I just had to hope that the others found something in them worthwhile. But there were three I definitely wanted to check out for sure. The last three rooms mentioned on the map, one of them judging by the nameplate on the door was Makoto's, and the other two if I had to make my guess belonged to the Ultimate Impostor and Hajime. I took a deep breath and entered the room closest to me. The Boring-er room (Hajime's room).

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:55 AM

0:04:30 REMAINING

Hajime's room seemed kind of typical for a high school boy just as the tour map pamphlet said. It wasn't necessarily messy but it wasn't as nice as Sayaka's room that was for sure. There was a few articles of clothing spread across the floor, a few books were piled up and opened on the room's desk, and the bed was unmade and messy. It sort of reminded me of my bedroom back home. "I guess Hajime and I are a lot alike," I said to myself as I got to work at looking things over. It felt weird going through Hajime's things but I was sure that he would have forgiven me given our current circumstances. I looked over the books that he had on his desk and saw that a lot of them were novels and works of fiction, but then I saw one book that really got to me. _How to deal with loss_. This book was opened up to a page on suicide and how it talked about it never being the answer. And I saw that Hajime had written a note on the side of the page. It read:

 _Don't give in. If you have to live your whole life here then so be it, live for them, all of them. Let their memories live on through you. If you don't live then Monokuma and the person controlling him, the Mastermind, wins. Don't back down, never give in. As long as you have her by your side you should be fine. Always remember that things could always be worse, one day you might wake up and she won't be there._

I smiled at the note. "Even through all that he went through, he didn't give in." That was the Hajime I remembered, always the realist but always the one who remained the most hopeful that tomorrow will be better than today. Even through this hopeless situation he remained adamant that someday things would be normal again. I went to close the book and as I saw the cover I noticed something scribbled on the front of the book. It was sloppy and seemed that it was written in an extremely aggressive state. One word:

 _LIES!_

It seemed very peculiar, but I pushed it aside due to the current lack of time. And that's when I saw something in the room's waste basket. It was a two crumpled up balls of paper. "I know I shouldn't but…" I reached inside the waste basket to retrieve the paper balls and then unfolded them and smoothed out the wrinkles as best as I could. The first piece of paper appeared to be a note written in extremely neat handwriting. The note read:

 _Dear Hajime,_

 _It looks like there's just (blank) of us now. Where has the time gone? It's been a while since we've spoken, we barely saw you after Byakuya died. You closed yourself off from us completely, don't tell me you lost your hope? You couldn't have right? Even after the others decided it was time for them to leave as well you still came out of your room for investigations and class trials, though those didn't really matter anymore since it always ended the same way. I saw you come out of your room every now and then though to grab something from the kitchen, remember when Teruteru used to cook for us? I miss him and everyone else too, but I especially miss you. You promised remember? When you first came to Hope's Peak Academy we found each other remember? I was such a dork back then, you found me dozing off remember? And then when all of this happened you said you would stay by my side and never leave me alone, right? Makoto is worried about you and so is Kyoko, and I'm worried too. Please come outside. I want to talk to you for real, it feels like it's been ages since we've talked face to face. I miss your voice, I miss your never-yielding spirit. What happened to the Hajime Hinata that I loved? Is he still there? Please reply to me in person._

 _Love, forever and ever,_

 _(Blank name)_

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: HAJIME HINATA

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: KYOKO KIRIGIRI

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: TERUTERU HANAMURA

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MAKOTO NAEGI

"Why would he throw this away?" I asked as I looked back at the book cover with the word _LIES_ written on it. "Hajime, what happened to you?" I asked myself. And then I turned my attention to the other sheet of paper. This one had a shorter note on it that read:

 _Hi Hajime, we haven't talked at all since last week, have we? Our argument was really loud, eh? I'm sure if anyone else was here with us they would have been complaining about the volume. Look, I'm really sorry about what I said before, I didn't take into account how you felt and that was wrong of me. I can't help but feel like we've been growing further and further apart. I wish things could go back to the way they used to be. But no matter how hard I wish for it I know it will never come true. But I want to fix things with you before we both end up doing something we regret. Can you meet me at the fifth floor classroom at 2:00 A.M, please? I really want to talk to you, Monokuma told me something very interesting the other day and I want to discuss it with you. You'll know what to do, I'm sure of it. Please come, I want to see you._

 _(Blank name)_

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: THE MEETING

Then I spied something out of the corner of my eye. There was something under Hajime's bed pillow. I hesitated before pulling back the pillow and grabbing the item hidden under it. It was another photograph, but it appeared to be badly damaged and ripped down the middle. On one side of the photograph there was a happy and smiling Hajime Hinata and his arms was wrapped around another person who was on the other side of the photo. It appeared to be a girl but I couldn't make out her face at all. Someone took a black marker to the photo and furiously scribbled over her head, making it impossible to tell who she was. Her outfit was the generic girl's s uniform of Hope's Peak Academy and Hajime was wearing the generic boy's uniform. They were outside, in the central plaza from the looks of it. Hajime looked really happy to be with the girl, and if I could see her face I'm sure she would have been smiling as well. "Did Monokuma do this? Or maybe…?" I didn't know what to think from the things that I had seen so far.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: LOVE LOST TO DESPAIR

I decided to pocket the photograph and the two notes and then move onto the two other rooms. I wanted to know more about Hajime but I also needed to know more about Makoto and the Ultimate Impostor. Hopefully, I would somehow get the answers I needed.

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:57 AM

0:03:00 REMAINING

The closest room to Hajime's room was the Boring room, and I could only assume that that room belonged to Makoto. I opened the door and peeked inside the room to see if anyone was already in there. It looked like I was alone once again so I got to work without any hesitation. Makoto's room didn't look all that different from Hajime's, as a matter of face Makoto might have been a bit messier than Hajime was. The first thing that stuck out to me was a large bulletin board that had a single photograph of every single student involved in Monokuma's game, along with one girl I didn't recognize. It wasn't the same girl in Mahiru's pictures, it was a different girl. She had short pale pink hair and a matching set of pale pink eyes. And on the top of the bulletin board there was a heading that read:

 _DO IT FOR THEM_

I reached out to grab the photograph of the mystery girl so I could compare it to the damaged photograph I found in Hajime's room. And then suddenly I felt something zoom past my head with a loud *whoosh* that cut the air, whatever zoomed past my head was about a few millimeters from hitting me. I looked up and saw that a sharp pencil had lodged itself into the bulletin board and was still shaking from the vibrations of being chucked at an incredible speed.

"Don't…touch…anything," I heard someone warn me in a stern voice. I hesitated before looking back at the person who was in the room with me. I couldn't make out their face because it was hidden by the hood of a green, zipped-up hoodie which I recognized as Makoto's hoodie.

"M-Makoto?! Makoto Naegi?!" I exclaimed as I turned around all the way. Upon further inspection could see that the person wearing the hoodie was also wearing a skirt and knee high socks. It was a girl, not Makoto. "Are you them? Did you kill Hajime Hinata?"

The mystery girl pulled off the hood, allowing me to see a familiar face of gray eyes, bobbed black hair, and freckles. "I-Ikusaba-san! So you've been here?!" I was starting to get a little worried about Mukuro, it had been almost an hour since I felt her dark aura, but now that she was back her negative aura was back as well. Her frown and her eyes told a sad story. Her face looked horrible, it looked like she had been crying for a long, long time.

She stayed quiet for a few moments before she even attempted to respond to my questions. "I know who did it. I know who killed your friend," those were the only words she said.

"What? Have you been in here this whole time? Is that why nobody could find you? But what about Yasuke, he said he checked all the rooms and he didn't say anything about seeing you? How did you…?" She shut me up by launching another sharp object at me, but it wasn't a pencil, no this time it was a pair of scissors that she threw like a dagger with speed and precision. The scissors also landed and got stuck in the bulletin board.

"Shut up and get out," she said calmly and coolly as she pointed at the door.

"But Ikusaba-san, I need to investigate for the class trial and…" she cut me off by grabbing yet another school supplies weapon, a ballpoint pen, and then rushing over to me with super speed and forcing me against the wall. She stared at me eye to eye, her cold and dead eyes reflecting widened and fearful ones. She brought her hand up to my neck and then gripped it real hard while *clicking* the pen with her other hand and raising it to my neck as well.

"I already told you I know who it is. Get out now while I'm still giving you the chance to breathe or else you'll know how fast you can die from an air embolism. Like I said before, I've killed so many people. Do you really think it's going to make a difference if I stain my hands one more time? Leave…now. Understand?" she asked.

I nodded furiously as I sweat bullets in fear. Mukuro let me go and took her pen away from my neck and then she backed away and allowed me to leave the room. I ran out of there faster than humanly possible and slammed the door behind me. I panted as I leaned against the door for support, I thought my knees were going to buckle under my own weight. "What…what is wrong with her?!" I exclaimed. I took a few deep breaths and then stood upright again. "Guess I can't search that room," I said. "But at least I found out what happened to Makoto's hoodie, Mukuro must have stolen it from the museum."

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MAKOTO'S HOODIE

I looked towards the last remaining room I wanted to check, the Unknown room. Hopefully, I would find something noteworthy about the Ultimate Impostor in there. "And hopefully there won't be another homicidal maniac hiding in there either."

* * *

DAYTIME, 10:58 AM

0:01:30 REMAINING

This room was almost too neat. The floors were spotless, the bed was well made and all the corners were tucked in, and everything seemed to be in its rightful place, there wasn't even any clutter on the desk. There was also no individuality about this room, no pictures or photographs of different things, nothing really stood out at all. This room definitely belonged to the Ultimate Impostor, I just had to prove it. I looked for anything, literally anything that even remotely stood out. I ransacked the desk, checked every nook and cranny of the bathroom, ripped the sheets off the bed and checked under the bed as well, and found…nothing.

It was almost mocking how little there was in the room. No wonder the Ultimate Impostor had managed to stay hidden for so long, they didn't leave a single trace of solitary evidence as to their identity. The things they had could have belonged to anyone, anonymity really was their strong suit. "One last place left to check," I said to myself as I made my way to the closet. I found an assortment of clothes and outfits inside but nothing that interesting until I dug deeper. On the back wall of the closet I found something truly shocking.

It was an assortment of sticky notes and photos of different locations and several photographs of crime scenes that occurred in classrooms. There even appeared to be some photographs of the suicides that we know already took place inside the academy. And strangest of all there were photographs taken of every single student in Monokuma's game as well as some students who I didn't recognize, and they all appeared to have been taken without their knowledge, some were standing in crowds, others were talking to friends. It was like someone was stalking them.

There was also a certain photograph that stood out to me, a photo of two girls who looked almost identical although one was slightly taller than the other and had longer hair. I recognized the girls' face. 'Sato Amari?' I asked myself as I leaned in closer to closet to get a better look at the mayhem. I got so close that I accidentally bumped into the closet's shelf and caused the things on top of it to tumble out on top of me.

"Ouch," I groaned as I got myself out from underneath the mountain of objects that came tumbling out of the closet. That's when I realized that the Ultimate Imposter had hidden these things up on the shelf to keep out of reach from anyone else. There was a few boxes that had even more clothes stuffed into them, a box that had gaming devices in it that were labeled:

 _Property of C. N._

And the oddest box of all, a box of wigs and odd devices. "Alright now we're getting somewhere," I said to myself. I looked through all the objects and grabbed one of the portable game systems and one of the wigs and looked at them oddly. "A strange combination. Just what are you hiding?" I asked myself.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: ULTIMATE IMPOSTOR

Then my thoughts were interrupted when I heard a loud noise.

 _*Ding dong, ding dong…*_

The monitor inside the room cut itself on and I saw Monokuma come into full view. "Time's up! I hereby declare the period of investigation over!"

That filled me with an incredible amount of dread. "What?! No, time can't be up!" I exclaimed.

"I gave you morons a whole hour to search for clues now I want to see some results. It's time for the moment you've all been waiting for. Duh, duh, duh, duh! The class trial! Aren't you all as excited as I am?! No? Well you better get ready because like it or not someone's gonna die when this over. Who's it gonna be, you bitches or the killer? Oh, I just can't wait to find out! Look for the red door in the first floor hallway of the school area, and that's where we'll meet up to go to the trial grounds. And don't dawdle or I'll come and get you myself. And trust me you don't want that. Monokuma out!" And then the monitor cut off by itself, leaving me alone to wallow in despair.

"No, no, dammit no!" I shouted. "I haven't figured anything worthwhile out yet and we've barely eliminated half of the suspects! Dammit what are we going to do?!" I sat on the floor for a few minutes thinking about everything that had happened so far and all the clues I had found. "Can we really solve this thing with so little to go on?" I asked myself. Then I thought about all the other students who died. And then I thought about the others, Yasuke, Nodaka, Micho, Soshun, Nate, Aya, Keiko, Jonathan, Connie, Chihiro, Cam, Jose, Nagito, Izuru, Sawa, Shiro, Beigoma, Azami, and Mukuro. No matter how they acted, no matter how afraid of them I was, no matter how insane or quirky some of them might have been I didn't want to just see them die.

I couldn't just lie down and accept defeat. That wasn't me, that wasn't me at all. As long as I had hope and my friends – yes, I had truly begun to think of those crazy people as my friends – by my side I felt like I could do anything. I nodded in affirmation, "Yeah, I've just got to stay positive and believe in myself and the others. We can do this. We will find Hajime's killer and we will find a way out of here!" I exclaimed with a new found resolve. I ran out the door and headed for the first floor hallway where I had a date with destiny.

* * *

DAYTIME, 11:06 AM

I walked around the first floor hallway until I came across a set of red bolted doors down at the end of a long hall. It seemed out of place compared to the rest of the school, and considering this was the entrance to the trial grounds I guess I should've expected as much. Everything was really quiet, not a sound could be heard anywhere. I walked up closer to the door and hesitated before pulling the handles towards me and opening the door. "This is it, no turning back. We have to find the killer, no we will find the killer!" With the doors opened I walked inside a small room with yet another camera and monitor inside, I could see that almost everyone else had already arrived. There was just a few stragglers still unaccounted for.

"That's seventeen now," Jonathan said, "We're just missing three more. Izu, Ya, and Muku."

"Where could they be? Do you think they got lost?" Micho asked.

"They might've gotten cold feet, it took all my willpower to even drag my body down here," said Shiro. "It's tough to face your own mortality, you know?"

"Well we've already decided that we have to go through with this if we want to get out of here," said Nate.

"Still though, I guess you can't help but feel a little scared. Our lives are on the line after all," said Keiko.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, let the feeding frenzy begin!" Aya exclaimed.

"Azami-tan is ready too hebi! Give us your worst Monokuma hebi!" Azami exclaimed. "We'll find the killer for sure hebi!"

"I have no doubts either, but remember we're also doing this for the other students as well. I can't go without what all happened to them," said Nagito.

"But the important thing is what happened to Hajime Hinata, as long as we don't know that then we can kiss our lives goodbye," said Jose.

"That's kind of a downer way of looking at things," Sawa replied. "You don't think we'll win?"

"I didn't say that, I just said that we won't get anywhere if we don't take this as seriously as possible," Jose replied. "If you think that Monokuma was joking around when he said he would kill us if we louse this up then it's best that you get a firm reality check. From here on its survival of the fittest, it's the killer's life or ours. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes to win."

"Hey Jose?" Cam replied. "You feeling alright, dude? You're not stuttering or acting like your usual timid self. What gives?"

"I just thought it would be best for a personality change when we're dealing with something this serious," Jose explained. "You don't need the timid bookworm right now, you need me, trust me."

"If you say so, just take it easy okay? Remember, even if we win someone else will die in the process. That should be a load on your shoulders no matter what," said Cam.

Chihiro nodded. "It's true, even if we win someone else pays the price. In a way it's kind of like we're executing them ourselves. We're going to have to live with that," she added with a frown.

"Ah, such wonderful despair. It's like the perfect fragrance, absolutely irresistible," Monokuma said as he suddenly appeared in front of us.

"Here comes trouble, what do you want now?" Nodaka asked. I noticed that she was now wearing Peko's Shinai bag around her neck.

"I came to see what the holdup was, who are we missing?" he asked in return. Then he scanned over all of our faces. "I see, the Neurologist, the Soldier, and Hope itself are still absent. What's taking them so damn long?! I already told you we've got a time slot to keep, we've got to get the ball rolling immediately!" Monokuma exclaimed with anger.

Then suddenly the doors burst open and Yasuke came into the room. "Keep your panties on, I'm here okay?"

"What was the damn hold up?! Didn't I tell your lame ass not to dawdle?!" Monokuma replied.

"Yeah, and I took my sweet time because I didn't get to do a thorough investigation what with you leading us on with that scavenger hunt that you didn't even plan to finish," said Yasuke as he crossed his arms in contempt.

"Why you little son of a bitch, you dare undermine me?!"

"I might not be able to pound you without getting my ass whipped in the process but that doesn't mean that I'm going to willing listen to you and go along with whatever you say. If you want to order me around then why don't you stop hiding behind your damn bear robot and come out and face me like a man," Yasuke said threateningly

"Who says that the Mastermind is a guy, moron?" Monokuma asked in reply.

"Wait, are you saying the person controlling you is female?" I asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Monokuma said as he cocked his head to the side. "Maybe more than one person is controlling me to begin with. I'll never tell!" he exclaimed in a showy manner. "You're just going to have to play nice with yours truly for now, the Mastermind will never show themselves to the likes of you losers."

"You have a real high opinion of yourself, don't you?" Soshun asked.

"Loving yourself is the greatest kind of love you can have," Monokuma replied.

"And your character is all over the place, the person controlling you is definitely unstable," said Beigoma.

"All the best people are mad, the French chick can attest to that," Monokuma replied.

"What is that supposed to mean, Monsieur Monokuma?!" Connie asked in anger.

"Big hat, crazy personality, easily excitable. Does the phrase "mad as a hatter" mean anything to you?" he asked.

Then the doors opened again and Izuru walked into the room. "Sorry I'm late, I wanted to confirm something real quick. And now that I have I can successfully say that I've solved every mystery inside this case," he said.

"Oh you have, have you?" Monokuma replied. "Well I'll believe it when I see it, alright now where's the last one? Where is Mukuro Ikusaba?"

"Mukuro-chan? I haven't seen her since we were all in the gymnasium," said Beigoma. "Has anyone else seen her around?" she asked.

"I haven't seen her," Micho replied.

"I haven't either," Shiro replied.

"What happened to Shimi-chan hebi?" Azami asked in confusion.

"I saw her," I said, getting everyone's attention. "She was in the Boring room, you know Makoto's room."

"The Boring room?" Yasuke repeated. "But I went there and checked the whole room and I didn't see her at all."

"She must have been hiding under the bed frame," said Monokuma.

"The bed frame?" I repeated.

"She's called the Ultimate Soldier for a reason, you know?" Monokuma replied. "Not only is she a master of combat and a killer with little to no remorse, she is also exceptionally gifted in covert maneuvers and hiding in plain sight. She can even slow down her heartbeat to one beat per minute if she concentrates hard enough. That is the talent of the Ultimate Soldier, Mukuro Ikusaba."

"You're kidding, she's that talented?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"So, the information in her student profile panned out, which means that anything else in that file is solid as well. Perfect," Izuru said to himself.

"Unfortunately she has one little known weakness that can shatter her abilities to nothing, now if you'll excuse me I shall go and fetch Mukuro-chan so the rest of us can get started. Please wait patiently for our return." And then Monokuma disappeared, leaving the rest of us to wait in peace.

"So what do you think Ikusaba-san was doing in Naegi-san's room anyway?" Micho asked.

"Looking for clues obviously, what else would she be doing?" Shiro asked.

Micho sighed. "You're so naïve, Shirobane-san."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the Ultimate Set Designer replied.

"Did Mukuro-chan seem okay to you when you saw her, Kira Onii-chan?" Beigoma asked me.

"Actually she looked really sad, sadder than usual and when I tried to ask her about it she told me to leave her alone and threatened to kill me if I didn't do so," I explained.

"What did she have a knife on her and stuck it up against your neck or something, Aki?" Jonathan asked.

"Actually it was just a pen, but in her hands…" I trailed off.

"No need to explain, I get it," Jonathan replied with a terrified look.

We waited for a minute or two, which eventually turned into five, and then ten, and then before we knew it half an hour had passed. "Jeez, what's taking them so long?" Izuru asked. "I'm getting more bored with each passing minute. I want to experience the excitement of the class trial right now, otherwise you'll all see how depressed I can get."

"We haven't already seen it?" Nate asked. "Whoa dude, you must be like extremely emo!"

"You have no idea, and it's infectious too. Trust me, you don't want to have it infect you too so we should hurry up and get this class trial going right now to dispel the brooding emo-ness," said Izuru.

"It doesn't matter how impatient you act, we can't get started until Monokuma comes back with soldier girl," said Nodaka.

"But Izuru-kun does have a point," said Nagito. "It has been a while, maybe someone should go check on them."

"And get between those two murdering idiots, I don't think so," Jonathan said. "Anyone who tries that will get killed in the crossfire for sure."

"I don't think they're fighting, otherwise the whole school would have probably blown up by now," said Sawa. "But they are taking an awful long time, do you think something happened to them?"

"I don't give a shit what happens to Monokuma but we can't really just leave Ikusaba behind, someone's waiting for her to come back to them," said Yasuke. Then he sighed and said, "I'll go and check on them and Maita will accompany me."

"Me? Why?" I asked.

"You're the only person who's experienced the feeling of getting under Ikusaba's skin so you'll know what to expect if something bad happens," Yasuke explained.

Then suddenly the doors opened again and we were greeted to the sight of Mukuro holding Monokuma's severed head by his ears. She was still wearing Makoto's hoodie but I noticed that it had several scratches and slash marks now, most likely due to Monokuma. But judging by the state of things it was pretty easy to say who the victor in the confrontation was. Mukuro threw Monokuma's head into the center of the room, making us all take a step back.

"What the hell dude!" Nate exclaimed. "Is he…is he really…!"

"No way!" Micho gasped and looked to Mukuro. "How did you…?!"

"Ikusaba-san, you really defeated Monokuma?!" I asked her in surprise.

"Defeated?! Who the hell do you think I am?!" And then we heard his voice. Monokuma suddenly appeared in front of us again, with a series of anger marks all over his forehead. "I am the big bad boss of this whole stinking game, not some dumb level boss, you don't have the right to lay a single hand on me until you've leveled up to LV freaking 100! All Mukuro-chan did was destroy twenty of my bodies and piss me off unbelievably!" he shouted. Monokuma was so angry that actual steam was coming out of his ears. "You freckled bitch, how dare you disrespect me like that!"

"How did you do it?" Mukuro simply asked.

"What'cha talking about?! I'm asking you why you think that it's okay to break me twenty freaking times?!" Monokuma shouted.

Mukuro grabbed Monokuma by his neck with extreme speed and glared at him. "How did you do it?! How did you break Makoto's spirit?!" she shouted at Monokuma as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I could take staying here, I figured when we first arrived that we wouldn't be allowed to leave! I was fine as long as I knew that the people I cared about were safe! I was willing to go along with all of this because you're precious to me! But you promised, you promised that none of our friends would get hurt! You promised me you wouldn't lay a hand on Makoto if we went through with this game, and then you made me try to maintain my composure as you claim that he and all our friends either committed suicide or murder! Why?! Why, Onee-chan, why?!"

We all stood in silence and watched as Mukuro continued to cry and grip Monokuma's neck with vice-like power. She waited in silence for Monokuma to respond to her questions. It was a few moments before he gave her one but judging by her response it was not the answer she was looking for. Monokuma let loose one of his cackling fits of laughter and then replied, "Onee-chan? Do I look like your sister to you?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side. "We're not even in the same species for crying out loud. What the fuck are you talking about freckles? Your profile said that you didn't receive a single scratch in any battle you encountered, but I guess it forgot to mention a bit of brain damage." Mukuro's eyes widened and Monokuma gave her another fit of laughter in reply. "What the hell happened? Someone clocked you good from behind or something? Maybe went through a few too many explosions? I don't really give a fuck, just keep your craziness to yourself will you? If you had any sort of feelings at all for Makoto-kun it's your own fault for not telling him sooner, but…" Monokuma laughed again, "Why the hell we would he even give someone like you the time of day? Face it girly, you're just like me. Dead on the inside, incapable of remorse or any other basic human emotion. Maybe that's why you couldn't deal with your love for him." Monokuma turned his head around like he was some kind of owl, freaking all of us out. "Chihiro-chan?" he called out to Chihiro.

"Y-Yes?" she replied uneasily.

"Did you know that Mukuro-chan here had a thing for Makoto-kun? It was so disgusting, she could barely so much as say a word to him anytime he tried to talk to her. She'd end up shying him away and giving him the cold shoulder instead, making her just seem more unapproachable and more unappealing. He had no idea that she felt so strongly about him, and now he might never get the chance too. Is Makoto dead already or is he the killer? Who's to say? Not I, not I at all. Oh and this might get you a little pumped, all of your classmates were going on and on about how much they missed you. They kept saying if Chihiro-chan were here she would never, even for a second, consider doing something as horrible as killing a friend. They led by your almost pacifist character."

Then Monokuma turned his head back to face Mukuro. "You on the other hand…" Monokuma laughed again. "Not one of them ever mentioned missing you, how could they? You would barely speak a word to them when you were together, every single one of them thought of you as cold and uncaring, what with your checkered past and all. Some of them were even afraid of you, afraid that if they got near you they might make you angry and you wouldn't hesitate in killing them. You're a very scary girl, Mukuro-chan. To tell you the truth, even Makoto-kun was on some level glad to be rid of you. He couldn't figure you out no matter how hard he tried, him being the sickingly hopeful boy thought that you of all people needed a friend the most but every opportunity he took to get closer to you ended with you completely freezing him out. He had begun to think of you as an ice queen actually. Not once, did he ever consider you in the same way you consider him. But if it makes up for it in any way, he did grow closer to your love rival, Kyoko Kirigiri."

Monokuma was toying with Mukuro's emotions. I could see the hurt in her eyes. She wasn't a killing machine, or a homicidal maniac at that point. She was a girl, a scared and hopelessly misunderstood girl with a broken heart. And Monokuma just kept pushing and pushing, determined to make Mukuro feel even more miserable than she already was.

"Yes, in their time here the two of them grew increasingly close. She was like you at first, socially withdrawn, but unlike you she had the benefit of wanting to live. Her hope gave her the strength to fall in love, a love that was mutually beneficial. I even peeked on them a few times, and let me tell you things got intense. But for you, a person who kills, a sad sack if there ever was one. How an earth could he ever love someone like you? A person with no hope at all, a person who wishes more than anything else to die. That's what you want isn't it? You want to die, don't you? You were hoping Makoto-kun would save you from that, from the person you know that you can never stop being. Wasn't the reason you fell in love with him in the first place because he was the first person to ever smile at you?" Monokuma laughed again. "What a card. I guess we know that he chose the right girl in the end, Makoto-kun gets a happy ending along with Kyoko-chan and Mukuro-chan gets to die alone, just like she knew she would." Monokuma laughed louder and louder, making Mukuro cry more and more until she dropped him to the ground and the dropped to her knees as despair consumed her.

"Nobody likes you," said Monokuma as he mocked Mukuro. "You're dumb, ugly, cold, manipulative, smug, way too athletic, a know it all, a freaking stalker, and worst of all a killer. How could anybody ever like you? You are meant to die alone, you know that. Stop fooling yourself already! You're just a disappointment, you always have been and you always will be. You're just an ugly stray who still clings to life even though they know the world doesn't want them. What are you waiting for, do the world a favor and take a hike?!"

Mukuro's hands shook as she reached into the right pocket of Makoto's hoodie and pulled out something familiar. It was the ballpoint pen she threatened me with earlier. With her trembling hand, she pressed the button at the end and a loud *click* filled the room. Her hands shook as she raised the pen closer to her neck. And then my body moved on its own. In a swift motion she tried to jam the pen into her neck and give herself an air embolism just like she threatened to do to me before, but before she could I grabbed the pen and yanked it out of her hands. I had moved faster than I had ever moved before, but I had done it. I stopped Mukuro from giving into despair and killing herself. And then my hand moved on its own much like my legs had done before. A loud *smack* filled the air.

And when I came back to my senses, I saw that I was standing over Mukuro with my hand raised and a large handprint was on her left cheek. "You fucking idiot!" I shouted at her. "What the hell is the matter with you?! Can't you see you're just giving him what he wants?!" Mukuro stared at me wide and confused eyes. I was confused as well, I didn't know where all of this was coming from but I continued none the less. "Do you think that your friends would like it if you killed yourself just because that little fuck tells you too?! Do you think that they chose to end their lives?! No! They were forced into it, he forced them into seeing no alternative! He forced them to think that death was the only way they were going to escape the hopelessness! Why?! Because it's a game to him! A fucking game! And the only way you can win is by not playing at all! The others realized that too late and they paid the price for it! And I'm not going to let you make the same damn mistake! I personally didn't know Naegi-kun but I think that if he was as brave and as hopeful as you say he was then he sure as hell wouldn't want you to just give up and turn tail and run like a coward! You are Mukuro fucking Ikusaba dammit! The Ultimate fucking Soldier! The word cowardice isn't even supposed to be in your dictionary, you're supposed to be invincible and impossible to hinder or vanquish! You said yourself you were the Ultimate Killing Machine, well I say prove it!"

I couldn't believe what I was saying to her. I knew my words were harsh but dammit she needed to get some sense knocked into her. "Don't listen to what Monokuma says, he wants nothing more to see us wallow in despair so I'm sure that also incorporates lying to us at every single step and turn! If he says Naegi-kun died with a loss of hope than let's try and prove otherwise, if he says that nobody likes you and that you're destined to die alone then I say that you should man up and prove him wrong! Because like it or not we've got your back dammit! Like it or not, we're all friends and you're our friend too, Ikusaba-san! I say that we prove to Monokuma that hope is stronger than despair, our hope will not give into his despair! But we can only prove that if you're by our side, so you better choose right now." I offered my hand to her. "You can either stand up and fight, or you can back down and let Monokuma win! Now what's it gonna be?!"

For a few moments after that the room was completely quiet. Mukuro, Monokuma, and the others were completely shocked by what I had said and done. Even I was a little surprised at myself. But it was all worth it when I saw her smile for the very first time. "You're…you're right." She was still crying a little but her tears were starting to dry now and her usual expression of gloom and doom was replaced by a look of renewed hope. The little bit of hope that was still inside Mukuro had been reignited. She grabbed ahold of my hand and I helped her back to her feet. And then she surprised me again by punching me real hard in the ribs and making me cringe and wheeze. "And that's for slapping me and yelling so much." I fell down to my knees in pain and then she crouched down and whispered in my ear. "A few more millimeters and I would have cracked at least five of your ribs, you wanted proof that I am who I say I am? Well there it is."

Nodaka laughed at Mukuro's blow to me. " _Hahaha_ , I like soldier girl's style. Alright I'm willing to accept your help. Welcome aboard, you now work for me."

"So Muku's officially involved in the buddy-buddy socialite club now?" Jonathan asked with a sense of fear in his voice.

"Got a problem with that?" Mukuro asked as she cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"No, none at all! Please don't hurt me!" Jonathan exclaimed as he cringed in fear.

Beigoma ran up to Mukuro and forced her into a hug. "Onee-chan!" she exclaimed. "Now I have two elder siblings, lucky me!"

Mukuro seemed a tad surprised at Beigoma's forwardness but she didn't necessarily scowl at her or anything, as a matter of fact I thought I saw her blush. But I was still in a lot of pain so it was hard to tell.

"There she goes again," Nate said with a chuckle. "You want me to try and pry her off, she's really strong but I could take another whack at it if you like?"

"No…i-it's fine," Mukuro said as she let Beigoma hug her.

"Awesome, with a badass like her on our team we're sure to win," Soshun said.

"Don't put so much faith in brawn, brain is the true conqueror in this kind of game," Jose replied.

"Well said, if you're going to play nice from now on let's hope you can at least bring something to the table, Ikusaba-chan," said Izuru.

"It's nice to officially welcome you to the group, I hope we can become the best of friends," said Micho with a comforting smile on her face.

"Yeah, it's nice to finally see you smiling Ikusaba-san. I don't think I can ever really remember a time I saw you smile," said Chihiro.

"Watch it," Mukuro warned with a scowl.

"S-S-Sorry," Chihiro replied in fear.

"Ahem!" Monokuma exclaimed, getting our attention. "All I have to say is…what the fuck?! Akira-kun ruined a sure kill and now the Ultimate Soldier is ready to break bones, how the hell is that fair?! I entered her in this specifically because I thought she'd off herself immediately after finding out what fate befell her love interest and her so-called friends! And now I got to deal with this shit storm?!"

It hurt to laugh so I just sort of scoffed. "Looks like she's not as weak as you pegged her to be. Big mistake, you're going down."

Monokuma laughed in reply to my statement. "It looks like you've all forgotten, I'm just the judge in here. The person you're fighting against is the sole survivor of the first round of my game. If you kiddies wanna get a shot at playing and leaving the person standing in your way isn't me, it's them. If you didn't waste all your investigating time you all should have been able to gather clues and find out some things. Now working together is the key here, present all your information together and try to make sense of it the best you can. And if you run into a problem with something you don't know just ask me and I'll help you out…for a price that is," he said with an added chuckle. "This is the class trial my young pupils, enough sappy after-school special garbage! Class is in session, today's lesson is kill or be killed! Time to head to the trial grounds, step into the elevator in the back and you'll be taken there to match wits and save your skins. I'm going on ahead, good luck, you're gonna need it." And with that he was off again, leaving the rest of us alone. And in that brief time I managed to find the strength to stand up again.

"You good?" Mukuro asked for my condition.

"Yeah, but god you sure can pack a punch," I replied.

Mukuro laughed at my reply. "Just don't make me have to do that again, 'kay?"

"Got it." I walked to the back of the room and then pressed a button on the wall that opened up the elevator doors. It was one of those big industrial chain elevators like the kind you see in construction sites, most likely another recent renovation done by the Mastermind. We all filed into the elevator and squeezed in the best we could. And then when we were all on the doors closed and the elevator descended down below. It was a bumpy ride downwards, the chains holding the elevator in place *rattled* the whole way down, and the floor below us *clattered* and *clunked*. I was starting to get a little motion sickness actually. And then after what seemed like an eternity, the elevator stopped moving and the doors opened up with a *ding*.

We then found ourselves in a room that could only be described as someone's idea of a medieval-themed play room. The walls were solid gray brick and seemed almost circular with the way they curved around us. And along each wall there were several tapestries that depicted a full-body form of all twenty-eight students who were involved in Monokuma's game. From Akane Owari to Yasuhiro Hagakure. And in between each tapestry there were lit torches which dimly illuminated the room. And in the center of the room there was a long red carpet that led up to a large circle made up several banisters and cushioned seats, twenty-one seats to be exact, one too many. And then at the very end of the room there was a tall, almost throne-like, seat where the devil himself sat at that very moment. Monokuma waved us over, "Oh hey there guys, what took you so long?"

"W-What is this place?" I asked in surprise.

"Welcome to the trial grounds!" Monokuma exclaimed in a showy manner. "I made everything you see before you by paw, pretty good if I do say so myself."

"Too good," Micho commented. "This almost looks like an actual court room, a medieval one anyway. Fun fact, medieval courtrooms were the only ones designed to use the circular stands because they wanted to make the accused feel surrounded on all sides and make them think that they had no choice but to confess. Not only was it an illegitimate way to conduct a trial but it was also responsible for getting the worst conviction rating of innocent people in the history of law."

"Umm, how was that a fun fact for anyone besides you, pinky?" Nodaka asked smarmily.

"Seriously, I built the damn thing and even I didn't know that," Monokuma remarked with a sweatdrop.

"So this is where the battle of the class trial shall take place, very interesting. I'm already excited," said Izuru.

"This is it, no turning back," said Yasuke.

"Let's get this show on the road, what are we waiting for?" Mukuro asked.

"Hah, it seems like all girls become more positive and happy after having a good cry. Some balance of hormones, maybe? Should I make a note of this?" Jose asked.

"Dude, seriously?! Do not let any of them hear you say that!" Cam exclaimed.

"Enough fooling around, due to Mukuro-chan's bumbling we're now behind schedule so we have to get the ball rolling quickly. Get to the seat with your name on it, hurry, hurry, hurry!" Monokuma exclaimed.

We all filed off to our seats and when we were all accounted for in the circle we stared at each other with questioning eyes. This was it, the finale. We had to win here or it was the end for each and every one of us. I looked up at the tapestries on the walls and spied Hajime's. 'Hajime Hinata, though I didn't know him that well from our time together in the reserve course I admired him because he respected hope even more than I did. To us, Hope's Peak Academy was more than a symbol of recognition and favor, it was a way of life that we both wished desperately to be a part of. To journey into the world of the Ultimates and live among them, that was our dream. And his life was cut short because that dream turned into a nightmare…' I adverted my gaze to Monokuma, 'Caused by him,' I thought to myself. Then I looked back up at the other tapestries. 'And one of these people, one of these twenty-seven other students gave into the temptation and despair and killed him. The question is, which one? We have to figure it out, if we don't then we'll end up just like them.' This was the deciding moment, all or nothing. The conclusion of the murder mystery of Hajime Hinata. 'We will figure it out. I know we will!'

* * *

PRE-TRIAL MODE

* * *

Ammunition list:

 **Monokuma File #0** – according to the Monokuma File, Hajime Hinata died a little before 2:00 AM due to exsanguination caused by multiple stab wounds in his abdomen. The stab wounds appear to have been caused by a sharp object approximately 6 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter. Also according to the wound patterns on the victim's abdomen it appears the murder weapon had a serrated edge. The murder weapon is most likely some kind of knife or dagger. Though the stabs wounds to the abdomen appear to be the cause of death and there are also has several old wounds scattered along the arms and legs. As well as one fresh wound on the forehead that appears to have been inflicted antemortem, this was most likely caused during a struggle with the killer which resulted in Hajime being subdued by the blow. Also there appear to be several scuff marks on Hajime's shirt and pants.

 **Body outlines** – Nagito determined that only eight people not including Hajime died in the classroom originally, meaning the only people to die there were the eight sacrificed. Which concludes that the other students died somewhere else.

 **Memoriam list** – according to Monokuma the remaining students wrote a memoriam on the classroom's chalk board, however due to outside interference the names are almost completely erased and impossible to distinguish.

 **Gundam's Hell Hound earring** – Akira found Gundam Tanaka's earring inside the fifth floor classroom, could it be because he was one of the eight sacrificed or maybe from a certain recent struggle?

 **Bolt blood smear** – Nodaka and Akira discovered a blood smear on one of the iron window plate bolts. Could it have something to do with Hajime's murder?

 **Possible stamp prints** – the scuffs on Hajime's clothes appeared to have been caused by dirt and almost look like stamp prints. Could this be unimportant or one of the biggest clues of all?

 **Hajime's body** – there's a huge gash on Hajime's forehead where he appears to have suffered a blow with a blunt object. The blow appears to have been strong enough to knock him out but it's impossible to tell what was inflicted first, the stab wounds or the blow to the head.

 **Killer's apology note** – a note was found on Hajime's person that appears to have been written by the killer as an apology. For the murder or something else?

 **Pick axe** – Akira and Shiro found a pick axe in the shed in the botanical garden that has bits of old blood on it as well the words _Crazy Diamond_. Is this weapon related to Hajime's murder or is it something else entirely?

 **Footprints** – there's a set of footprints in one of the soil patches in the botanical garden. Could they have been made by the killer?

 **Monokuma's testimony** – Monokuma told Akira and Shiro that Gundam Tanaka was dead through a bad eulogy involving one of Gundam's hamster, the Dark Devas of Destruction. Later Monokuma also informed Akira, Jonathan, and Yasuke about the relationship between Mahiru Koizumi, Hiyoko Saionji, Mikan Tsumiki, Ibuki Mioda, and Sato Amari.

 **Monokuma bookmark** – found by Azami in the archery dojo. Akira followed directions on it that lead him to a certain cold case file in the library archives that pertained to the serial killer Genocide Jack.

 **Genocide Jack case file** – contains the case information and profile of the serial killer Genocide Jack. The profile of Genocide Jack is believed to be a schoolgirl possessing dissociative identity disorder (DID).

 **Byakuya's last words** – Byakuya Togami left a message inside the Genocide Jack case file that revealed the identity of Genocide Jack to be Toko Fukawa. Byakuya also admits that he planned to kill himself in his note which hints that he is now dead.

 **Bloody swimsuit** – Sawa and Akira discovered a swimsuit covered in fresh blood in the pool supply closet, belonging to Aoi Asahina. Does this prove that she is Hajime's killer?

 **Death scavenger hunt** – Akira, Jonathan, and Yasuke participated in one of Monokuma's games to learn some of the identities of the deceased students, but Monokuma programmed the game to be incomplete from the beginning so they only managed to learn a few identities.

 **Five friends, one promise** – a picture of Mahiru Koizumi, Ibuki Mioda, Hiyoko Saionji, Mikan Tsumiki, and Sato Amari. The five of them were best friends at some point in time.

 **Mahiru's camera** – Jonathan found the camera in the art supplies room badly damaged and in need of repair, it looked like someone had taken a hammer to it and tried to smash it to smithereens. Cam was able to repair it so whatever was on it before may now be accessible. The label on the side of it proves that it belonged to the Ultimate Photographer, Mahiru Koizumi.

 **Fuyuhiko's dying message** – Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu revealed his connections to Peko Pekoyama, and that she was one of the eight sacrificed in the fifth floor classroom; and he also revealed a mystery involving his little sister, Hitomi Kuzuryuu, as well as Mahiru Koizumi and Sato Amari. According to the Ultimate Yakuza, Sato killed Hitomi for bullying Mahiru and he killed Sato in response to killing his sister. He never forgave himself. And with his last breaths before committing harakiri with a survival knife he said heartfelt apologies to Peko, his sister, Mahiru, and Sato.

 **Final destination museum** – Monokuma made a museum glorifying the horror that he made the twenty-eight students experience, including a murder weapon exhibit, a students' personal objects collection, a stars tour of the dorm rooms, and a room to see their corpses up close and personal.

 **Final resting place** – twenty-seven sets of corpses and remains are inside this dark room. They were once all students with bright futures ahead of them but now they are indistinguishable masses that are bloody and rotten.

 **Museum theft** – someone stole several pieces from the museum. Could this have something to do with the murder?

 **The meeting** – Hajime had plans to meet up with his killer around the same time he was murdered.

 **Love lost to despair** – there was a certain girl Hajime was in a relationship with but something changed in their relationship that caused a drastic downward spiral. Just what could have happened?

 **Makoto's hoodie** – one of the objects stolen from the museum that somehow winded up in Mukuro's hands. Did she steal it from the museum or did she find it already stolen?

 **Gundam Tanaka** – one of the eight sacrificed. He shot himself with a revolver game of Russian roulette.

 **Peko Pekoyama** – one of the eight sacrificed. She committed harakiri with the sword Monokuma gave her in order to spare Fuyuhiko and her other friends.

 **Byakuya Togami** – one of the eighteen suicides. He poisoned himself using the pages of an old book as the means of contact, helped to set up an elaborate class trial.

 **Toko Fukawa** – one of the eighteen suicides. She stabbed herself with a pair of her Genoscissors.

 **Mahiru Koizumi** – one of the eighteen suicides. She overdosed on drugs.

 **Hiyoko Saionji** – one of the eighteen suicides. She committed suicide with Mahiru.

 **Kazuichi Soda** – one of the eighteen suicides. He hung himself using a noose made out of wiring.

 **Ibuki Mioda** – one of the eighteen suicides. She electrocuted herself during a performance.

 **Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu** – one of the eighteen suicides. He committed harakiri with a survival knife after admitting he was responsible for four deaths.

 **Sayaka Maizono** – one of the eighteen suicides. She stabbed herself with a kitchen knife after realizing that there was no other escape from the academy besides death.

 **Makoto Naegi** – one of the survivors of the classroom massacre. It is unclear as to whether he is currently alive or not but the thing that is clear is that everyone there had a high opinion of him. He was almost like their leader.

 **Kyoko Kirigiri** – one of the survivors of the classroom massacre. It is unclear as to whether she is currently alive or not but being the calm and cool detective was sure to have helped her to survive for at least a little while.

 **Teruteru Hanamura** – one of the survivors of the classroom massacre. It is unclear as to whether he is currently alive or not.

 **Hajime Hinata** – one of the survivors of the classroom massacre. He managed to become one of the two remaining survivors in the academy before he was murdered by the sole survivor.

 **The Ultimate Impostor** – one of the survivors of the classroom massacre. Whoever they are they managed to stay hidden among the others, maybe by creating some kind of fake persona.

 **Warning:** some more clues may be revealed in the class trial based on the findings of the other students.

* * *

COURT IS NOW IN SESSION!

* * *

"Alright, now that we're all here let's get started, shall we?" Monokuma asked as he sat in his throne-like seat. "First off I will start off with a short explanation of how the class trial works. Usually in class trials, the killer will be hidden amongst the students and it is up to the innocent students to figure out who among them is the guilty party whenever a murder has been committed. However, this class trial is very special and I can say that no one here in this courtroom is guilty of committing any kind of act of bloodshed…at least not by their own hands," he added with a chuckle. "Nope the killer of Hajime Hinata is one of the other twenty-seven students involved in my first attempt at the game of mutual killing."

All of a sudden Makoto Naegi's tapestry lit up like it was some kind of lantern was behind it. "Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student," said Monokuma. Then Sayaka Maizono's tapestry lit up. "Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation." Then one by one, each of the student's tapestry lit up as Monokuma declared them a suspect. "Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star. Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Celestia Ludenberg AKA Toake Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Gambler. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass. Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist. Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista. Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook. Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman. Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer. Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician. Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse. Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager. Gundam Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder. Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess. Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast. Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza. And finally the Ultimate Impostor, whose identity is still currently unknown. One of these twenty-seven suspects murdered Hajime Hinata and now you guys have to find out whodunit and how!"

"Twenty-seven suspects?" Jose repeated. "Even for a mystery that seems a bit excessive."

"Nevertheless, you guys aren't going to get out of here unless you correctly identify who done the deed, so says headmaster Monokuma!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"And if we chose the correct suspect then we get to leave, right?" Micho asked.

"In a way, yeah. You get to go outside the academy's walls and return to the world that your remember," Monokuma replied.

"You're not just messing with us, are you?" I asked.

"Cross my heart and hope to despair," said Monokuma as he circled the area of his heart with his left paw.

"So all we've got to do is correctly identify the killer?" Nate asked. "Seems easy enough if we get all our ducks in a row first."

"Right, how do we get started then?" Sawa asked.

"Well the only way you guys are going to know all that each of you know is if you pull your findings together. And I think the best way to do that is with a good old-fashioned exchange of ideas and hypotheses. I'm talking about a debate, dipsticks!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"A debate?" Shiro repeated in confusion.

"Yeah you know, talk it out with each other until you all reach a conclusion you're satisfied with. Using the clues you gathered in the investigation try to answer any questions you come across. Here I'll even get you guys started, why don't you talk about the crime in general at first. Say what you think happened and if one of you finds a contradiction in each other's statements then call each other out and present a piece of evidence you found or something you found out that's contradictory to the fact. Keep going down the right path and you're sure to reach a conclusion, in which case you're fee to leave the academy and the killer will be executed for their crimes. But on the chance that your conclusion is wrong I will let the killer go free and execute all of you instead. Is everyone clear on the rules?" Monokuma asked.

We all replied, "Yes," and then the debate was under way.

"Then let the debate begin!" Monokuma exclaimed.

'This is it,' I thought to myself. 'I have to make sure everyone knows what happened to Hajime or else we won't get anywhere.'

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

Yasuke started us off. "Okay, **the victim of this crime is Hajime Hinata**."

"Such a pity, I never got to meet him and now I'll never get the chance," said Nagito. "We could have been the best of friends."

"He was you friend right, Maita-san?" Aya asked me.

"Sort of, we were both in the reserve course together and we were even in the same classes. But we never really talked to one another, we were both kind of loners," I replied.

"Poor dude, do you think he was able to at least make nice with the other kids here?" Nate asked rhetorically.

"Apparently not nice enough with one of them, **someone stabbed him a couple of times** after all," said Izuru.

"Alright, so Haji's cause of death was due to **the stabbings he received in his abdomen** ," said Jonathan. "And it was apparently **around 2:00 AM** that this all went down."

"That's really late," Micho commented. "What do you think Hinata-kun was even doing up there at that time of night?"

"He might've just been there **to pay his respects to his fallen friends** ," said Shiro. "I mean if it were me I'd visit them as much as possible."

"But to go praying at that time of night, that seems a little odd, no?" Connie replied.

"Guilt doesn't stick to a clock, you know?" Shiro replied.

"So Hajime had a martyr complex, eh? Sounds kind of like Nagito," Nate commented.

"See, I told you we would have been the best of friends," Nagito replied.

'Hajime was up on the fifth floor at that time of night to pay his respects? Could that really be true?' I asked myself. 'No wait. That's not the reason he was there, I have evidence contradictory to the fact.' (Ammunition needed: **The meeting**.  Contradiction to refute: " **to pay his respects to his fallen friends"**.) I slammed my hands on the banister to get everyone's attention and then exclaimed, "No, that's wrong!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Then I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the notes I had found in Hajime's room and showed it to everyone. "I found this note when I was looking in one of the dorm rooms, it's addressed to Hinata-kun so it must have been for him. Hinata-kun wasn't there to pay his respects, he went to the fifth floor because he was meeting up with someone." I pointed to scheduled meeting time in the note. "See it says to meet up at 2:00 AM and the murder took place shortly before 2:00 AM, right?"

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh I guess you're right." Then he blushed and tried to laugh off his mistake. "Um, sorry guys, looks like I was wrong."

"Don't sweat it Yocchan, everyone makes mistakes," said Sawa.

"Oh you called me by my nickname." Shiro chuckled and said, "Now I'm flattered."

"Hey cockroach boy, I've got a question," said Nodaka. "You say you found that note in one of the dorm rooms, right? Which one exactly?"

'That's easy it was the…' I asked my other self and then I replied to Nodaka, "Boring-er room, and since it was in there my bet is that the Boring-er room was Hinata-kun's room."

"Ah, you're absolutely right!" Monokuma exclaimed. "I felt like the name matched Hajime-kun's personality perfectly, he and Makoto-kun tied for most boring student but I always felt like Hajime was just a tad bit more uninteresting."

"Alright then, you may continue," said Nodaka.

"Thank you," I replied. "Like I was saying, this note mentions that Hinata-kun and the person who sent the note are the only two people in the academy so I think this note could have only come from one person." I asked my other self a question about who could have sent the note to check my thoughts before finishing my statement. "And that person is the killer."

"Yes, I'd say that makes perfect sense," said Yasuke. "Solid work Maita."

"I agree, exceptional," said Micho.

"Okay now if we're done giving each other pats on the back let's get back to the topic at hand shall we?" Izuru replied. "Now then, I'll agree that Hinata-kun was summoned by the killer but I don't think that he just went fully unaware of what might happen."

"Jagaimo-chan's confused hebi. What do you mean Kokushibyou-kun hebi?" Azami asked.

"…" Izuru stayed silent. I guess he didn't feel like answering Azami's question.

"I'll explain," Mukuro chimed in. "He's saying it as a hypothetical. Think about it like you yourself are Hinata. You're forced into a situation where the only two options are either kill yourself or kill someone else instead. However, if you choose the latter we now know that there are consequences. You must avoid being under suspicion in the class trial and being chosen as the killer, but if you and just one more person are the only people involved you could kill without being forced into a class trial."

"But the killer is going through a class trial. We're holding one for them right now," said Keiko.

"Yes, but maybe the killer didn't know that this would happen," Mukuro replied. "In which case, they could have strung Hinata along to a secluded area where they could easily get rid of them without any unintended consequences. Hinata might have expected the same thing to happen so Kamukura is saying that Hinata could have gone to the proposed meeting fully expecting to be the target of murder."

"But then if you know someone's trying to kill you, why even go?" Jonathan asked. "Was Haji an idiot just like I thought?"

"No, I don't think he was an idiot, I think he was just playing it safe," Nate replied. "I get what they're saying now, you guys think Hajime went to the meeting despite the red flag it would have raised because…" Nate paused before finishing his statement, "Hajime intended to commit murder as well, right?"

Suddenly the whole courtroom went silent. 'What?!' I exclaimed inwardly.

"You have to admit, it is a viable hypothesis," said Izuru. Then he smirked in a cocky way. "The best strategy to avoid inevitable annihilation is a preemptive strike. I propose a notion that Hajime Hinata was just as guilty as his killer is, and I can prove it…" Izuru reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife that he showed me that same morning, "With this."

* * *

A/N: And cliffhanger! Sorry, did that feel you with despair? Well good! I bet none of you saw that one coming, sorry I had to leave off at such a climactic part but I'm pushing the 20,000 word mark as it is. Despite this one piece, I plan to put the entire class trial in one chapter. Let me know if you think you know who the killer is and what you thought of this chapter. I'd love to hear any responses at all. Now I plan to have the whole class trial chapter done by the end of next week but I'm having so much fun writing this case that it may be sooner. Till next time, happy despairing.


	12. Prologue, Part 10

A/N: Sorry about the lateness of this update, I was up to my neck in college exams and had no free writing time. But now I'm on Christmas break and I have a lot of free time so let's get back to the story shall we? Unfortunately I ended up having to make the class trial two part after all, sorry but I think you'll be thoroughly entertained with what I have done so far. And I'll try to get last half done before Christmas. Now without further ado, let the class trial insanity begin! I've bolded things that are important to remember and I will let you know every time a piece of evidence is used. I don't really have anything else to say, so let's just get down to it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 10: Hope v. Despair**

* * *

"Okay now if we're done giving each other pats on the back let's get back to the topic at hand shall we?" Izuru replied. "Now then, I'll agree that Hinata-kun was summoned by the killer but I don't think that he just went fully unaware of what might happen."

"Jagaimo-chan's confused hebi. What do you mean Kokushibyou-kun hebi?" Azami asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"…" Izuru stayed silent. I guess he didn't feel like answering Azami's question.

"I'll explain," Mukuro chimed in. "He's saying it as a hypothetical. Think about it like you yourself are Hinata. You're forced into a situation where the only two options are either kill yourself or kill someone else instead. However, if you choose the latter we now know that there are consequences. You must avoid being under suspicion in the class trial and being chosen as the killer, but if you and just one more person are the only people involved you could kill without being forced into a class trial."

"But the killer is going through a class trial. We're holding one for them right now," said Keiko.

"Yes, but maybe the killer didn't know that this would happen," Mukuro replied. "In which case, they could have strung Hinata along to a secluded area where they could easily get rid of him without any unintended consequences. Hinata might have expected the same thing to happen so Kamukura is saying that Hinata could have gone to the proposed meeting place fully expecting to be the target of murder."

"But then if you know someone's trying to kill you, why even go?" Jonathan asked. "Was Haji an idiot just like I thought?"

"No, I don't think he was an idiot, I think he was just playing it safe," Nate replied. "I get what they're saying now, you guys think Hajime went to the meeting despite the red flag it would have raised because…" Nate paused before finishing his statement, " **Hajime intended to commit murder as well** , right?"

Suddenly the whole courtroom went silent. 'What?!' I exclaimed inwardly.

"You have to admit, it is a viable hypothesis," said Izuru. Then he smirked in a cocky way. "The best strategy to avoid inevitable annihilation is a preemptive strike. I propose a notion that Hajime Hinata was just as guilty as his killer is, and I can prove it…" Izuru reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife that he showed me that same morning, "With this."

My eyes widened. "That's…!"

Izuru cut me off with a sinister chuckle. "Yes, that's right Maita-kun. I never did explain to you where I found this knife, did I? I found it **in the biology lab**."

"The biology lab?" I repeated.

"You didn't think to look in there, eh? Well let me tell you about the fruits of my investigation then. I think you'll be impressed. Let's continue the debate, shall we?" Izuru asked.

I stared at Izuru in confusion. 'Does Izuru know something I don't? It's like he's egging me on, what's his deal? Only one way to find out I guess,' I thought to myself.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"As I was saying, I found this knife **inside one of the cold storage units**. Someone went through a great deal of trouble to hide it," Izuru said.

"The biology lab, what made you think to go look there anyway?" Micho asked.

"Wait, does the main school building even have a biology lab?" Shiro asked.

Yasuke contemplated before giving his statement. "No it doesn't, **the biology lab is supposed to be in the science building**. All the science labs and classes are taught there, the exceptions being the chemistry lab and the physics lab. I should know, I practically live in the neurology department. I even brought a bed into my lab that I can use when I have to work late nights."

"You don't get out much do you, Ya?" Jonathan asked.

"And what's this about a cold storage unit? What's that anyway?" Nodaka asked Izuru.

"Have any of you ever been to a morgue before? It was a lot like that," Izuru replied.

"A…a morgue?!" Chihiro gasped.

"It was freezing in there, and the cold storage units were built into a wall and had large trays that slid out of compartments. Trays that are the perfect size for corpses," Izuru explained and then he smirked. "Obviously, strange don't you think? A morgue inside a school? It has horror film written all over it, but then again I guess it's **not the scariest thing that I've seen all day**. To be honest, I would've preferred seeing a body in a morgue to witnessing "that". Even I was a little taken back the first time I saw the hidden room."

'Hidden room?' I repeated in my mind. 'Could he mean…?' (Ammunition needed: **Final resting place** , Contradiction to agree with: **"not the scariest thing that I've seen all day"**.) "I agree with that!" I exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"You're talking about the hidden room in the back of the Final Destination room, right Kamukura-kun?" I asked.

"That's right, since I was the first one here it falls on my shoulders to fill the rest of you in on my beginning search for clues. I'll walk you through it. I woke up early, **a little bit before 5:00 AM**. I was so excited for the extracurricular course that I could barely sleep so I decided to head onto the main school building early and see if I could be the first one to solve the mystery, of course back then I had no idea that the thing we would be investigating would be an actual murder mystery. A horrific, but none the less exciting, surprise. The whole room looked so creepy, crime scene tape was blocking the door so I had to pull it apart to break inside, and I first noticed the blood when the dull sunlight entering the room made it sparkle like some foreign substance. And then I found Hinata-kun's corpse, but besides that there wasn't really anything else that peeked my interest in the room besides something I found in the waste basket, but I'll skip that and continue to when I found the murder weapon. You all are wondering why I chose to check the biology room first, right? Simple. It was the one place that stuck out because as Matsuda-kun specified, there is no biology lab in the main school building, or at least that should have been the case. Which brings me to my next point, we've been assuming that the school changed when we all got knocked out but the truth is that I think it was already different even before that."

"How…? How can that be possible?" I asked in reply.

"Actually, that's the one thing I'm not really sure about," Izuru replied. We all went silent for a few moments after that as fear slowly crept into our minds and bodies.

"Hey don't fret now, let's focus on one mystery at a time. Right now, the most important thing to do is to focus on Hajime-kun's murder," said Nagito, trying to lift our spirits.

"He's right, our best option now is to stay focused. I'll continue my story. I discovered the inside was, like I said before, a morgue with several cold storage units. One of which was currently being used, curious I opened up the frozen chamber and peered inside, expecting to see yet another dead body and instead being greeted with the sight of this bloody knife," Izuru said as he held up the knife again. "I knew instantly that this was the murder weapon but just to be sure I decided to go back to the classroom and compare the knife to the wound in Hinata-kun's stomach, and then I was greeted with the sight of another person's arrival." Izuru looked in my direction.

"Me," I said finishing Izuru's statement. "So that's where you got the knife from?"

"Yes, and then as you'll recall Maita-kun, I used said knife to have a bit of fun at your expense," Izuru replied.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: IZURU'S TESTIMONY

"Okay, I think we've got the basics down," said Micho. "One question though, how does that knife prove that Hinata-kun is guilty like you claim?"

"Don't you mean to say it proves that the killer's guilty, Izu-chan?" Shiro asked.

"No I meant exactly what I said before, the knife proves that Hinata-kun is guilty because Hinata-kun was the one who first used the knife," he simply said, shocking us all.

"Oh Jagaimo-chan sees now hebi," Azami replied innocently. Then when she realized what Izuru had said her eyes widened in surprise and she exclaimed, "Eh, come again hebi?!"

"What?!" Nate exclaimed.

"Inconceivable!" Micho exclaimed.

"You're kidding!" Nodaka exclaimed in surprise. "So is this self-defense or this is just a case of messy suicide?!"

"According to Monokuma it's a case of murder so self-defense I guess?! Who struck first, the killer or Haji-chan?!" Shiro asked in surprise.

Nagito seemed very surprised but none the less he still tried to force a smile. "Very shocking, it seems like Hajime-kun had a bit of a dark streak to him. *Sigh* it's such a pity he's gone, he would've been just my type." I also saw a faint blush spread across Nagito's face.

"What do you mean Hinata-kun used the knife?!" I could not hold back my shock and awe at this new development. Everything stopped, it was as if time itself had paused around me. I was alone with my thoughts. 'Hajime, tried to kill someone?' That thought didn't even register with me, I had not once considered the act by the killer to be anything but cold-blooded murder and now Izuru was trying to tell me that Hajime was just as guilty as his killer. 'No…it can't be. It can't be!' Time began to move at its normal pace again and I made my reply to Izuru's statement. "No, I don't believe it," I simply said.

"Come again, Maita-kun?" Izuru replied as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I said, I don't believe it!" I shouted in anger. "Hinata-kun would never do something like that! You hear me?!"

"I hear you loud and clear," Izuru replied casually. "But if I also remember correctly, you said you and Hinata-kun didn't really know each other, right?"

I gasped and looked down at the floor.

"Are you saying that you lied to us before, were you and Hinata-kun actually good friends?" Izuru pushed at me to get me to back up my baseless claim. But I didn't have anything to back it up, nothing at all.

I stayed silent as a dour expression spread across my face.

"So you really didn't know each other? Never even talked once?" Izuru took my silence as defeat.

"No, like I said I've never even spoken two words to the guy," I replied as I continued to stare at the floor.

"I see, then your claims are baseless. You didn't know Hinata-kun at all, therefore you couldn't know what he was really like. You couldn't know that he was really just a weakling like the others and gave into despair when push came to shove, but a much more nasty case of despair mind you. Unlike the others he didn't choose to get rid of himself before choosing to harm another, in the end he put his own live above someone else's. A friend even, who he had gotten to known through the countless deaths that they already witnessed together. I submit that Hajime Hinata fell into despair just like the others in the end, no matter how hopeful you make him out to be Maita-kun that is the truth. He fell into despair as well, it just took a little longer," Izuru said crushing my spirits.

"Hold on, I object!" Micho suddenly exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

"What was that? You want to question me now too?" Izuru asked.

"I told you I am the Ultimate Defense Attorney, I defend the wrongly accused. And in this case I find that Hajime Hinata is a defendant just like the killer. I will not make up my mind until I hear all the facts. You say that Hinata-kun used the knife first? Well I say prove it!" She pointed at Izuru like she was calling his statement a bluff. "The knife wasn't even found at the crime scene, I'll admit to it probably being the murder weapon but there's no sign of Hinata-kun having used it, only him getting stabbed by it. Can you prove your accusation?"

"Sure that's easy, you see when I found Hinata-kun he was wearing something on his right hand. A glove," Izuru replied.

"A glove?" Sawa repeated in confusion

"Just the one though, its partner was nowhere to be found in the classroom. Being so out of place I decided to confiscate it so I could examine it further. I think even before I stumbled upon the knife I knew that the glove Hinata-kun was wearing was suspicious. And I couldn't have been more right." Izuru then reached into his other pocket and pulled out a black leather glove with decorative silver studs. Then he looked back to Micho. "What, you're not going to say that because I removed the glove from the crime scene it's out of play and I can't use it as evidence, are you? This isn't a trial for justice, it's a trial for survival; petty laws like those don't apply here."

"That's not what this is about, with this argument you are trying to discredit my client, Hajime Hinata. Finding him wearing a glove means nothing, how could it possibly relate to the knife which was found in a completely different location?" Micho asked.

"Another question that's simple to answer. I ask you all to take a closer look at the knife," Izuru said as he showed off the knife once more. It's coated in blood, meaning that the person holding it would have had to clutch on to it very tightly in order to keep stabbing someone, otherwise the knife would probably slip out of their hands and they would cut themselves by accident. However, this a drawback because blood is actually a good way to leave behind very noticeable finger prints, usually you'd need an area that's completely saturated in blood to make out a print but with this bloody instrument that's no problem at all. However, amazingly there are no prints at all."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that before as well," I added. My eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a minute, you don't mean?"

"Ah, seems like you've finally caught on," Izuru replied.

Cam seemed confused. He scratched his head and said, "Um, I have no idea what's going on, can you guys just spell it out if it's not too much trouble?"

Izuru turned the glove over so it was us with its palm side. "See for yourself." We stared at the palm of the glove and were shocked to see that the finger tips and most of that side of the glove was stained with blood.

"Blood?!" Aya exclaimed. "The killer didn't leave any prints behind on the knife which is impossible with it being coated in so much blood, just like Kamukura-san said! So they used gloves! And Hinata-san was wearing gloves so that means…oh no!"

"I still don't buy it," Micho replied, surprising the rest of us who were already completely shocked by Izuru's evidence.

"You're a stubborn girl, aren't you?" Izuru replied.

"Someone could have easily put that glove onto Hinata-kun's hand, the killer or possibly even Monokuma," Micho explained.

"Hey, I don't have anything to do with this case," Monokuma replied. "Well not that part at least."

"It doesn't matter, it is circumstantial evidence at best, and besides you said you only found one glove, you're still missing its partner. You can't know Hinata-kun tried to kill anyone just from a hunch given to you by a blood-soaked glove," Micho said.

"Hmph, but who says I didn't find the other glove?" Izuru asked.

"Um, you did just a little while ago," Nate replied.

"Correction, I said I didn't find the other glove in the classroom. But after going somewhere else I found its partner, can anyone guess as to where?" Izuru asked, seemingly amused.

I asked myself the same question and then replied, "Did…did you find it in the biology lab?"

Izuru reached into his pocket again to pull out a second glove, which was also stained with a little blood. "Indeed I did, right there in the cold storage unit along with the knife. So there's no question now, right? Hinata-kun planned to commit murder and brought along the knife and the gloves to cover his hand and not leave behind any visible evidence. The killer most likely acted in self-defense and after a struggle with Hinata-kun, grabbed the knife and thrust it through Hinata-kun's abdomen several times until it was all over. It was a heat of the moment crime, at least it was for one of them," Izuru explained.

"No, not good enough," Micho replied.

Izuru scowled. "Why not?"

"Every good defense attorney knows that one of the key factors to winning any case is partially how the jury themselves perceive you. If you seem like a nice and trustworthy person the jury is more likely to believe what you say. But due to your actions so far you lead me to believe that you cannot be trusted at all. Your character speak volumes about how you are conniving and manipulative, and your horrible personality isn't winning you any points at all. If you want to get around this roadblock I suggest you deliver a character witness. You claim that you were the first person to see the crime scene, do you have anyone who can confirm this?" Micho asked.

"I…I can't follow what's going on here at all. Is Haji-chan, innocent or not?" Shiro asked.

"This is getting intense, I feel like I'm watching _Law and Order_ or something," said Nate.

"Alright, so you say you want someone who can confirm my story? Alright fine, Maita-kun can confirm it," Izuru said as he looked in my direction.

"Me?" I replied in surprise. And then I thought back to this morning, when I first discovered Hajime's body and met Izuru.

Flashback:

 _And then about half a minute later Izuru stopped laughing all together. It was like a switch, one second he was laughing, the next second he wasn't even giggling. "That's enough of that," Izuru said to himself and then he picked up the bloody knife off of the floor. "Probably all the fun that I can get out of this thing, might as well try to figure out who hid it there now." Izuru held the knife up to his face and started looking at it carefully, examining each nook and cranny of it like he was some kind of detective examining evidence. "The person who used this knife was very careful not to get caught, there's not a single fingerprint on here, not even on the blade." He saw that I was confused and added, "Most people don't think to look for prints on the blade; ergo sometimes the killer gets sloppy and leaves one in an unlikely spot. Haven't you ever read a murder mystery novel before?"_

" _So…wait, you aren't the one who killed Hajime?" I asked._

 _Izuru shook his head and said, "Nope, I'm trying to find his killer."_

" _Find his killer? But then what the hell was all that with the knife?!" I shouted in anger._

 _He smirked again, "I thought it would be fun to mess with you a little, it's just been me and the corpse here_ _ **since dawn**_ _so I needed a good laugh. If I started talking to dead people I'd look insane."_

"Wait that's right!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Kamukura-kun said that he had been with Hinata-kun's body since dawn. I was the second person to stumble across Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun."

"So Izuru told you that he was with the body **since dawn**?" Nate asked. "But the question becomes, is Izuru telling the truth?"

"I think that's up for Maita-kun to decide, he is Kamukura-kun's character witness after all," said Micho.

"Oh so am I on trial now?" Izuru asked.

"I guess, we can trust what he says. He seems kind of odd, but not really someone who would lie about something serious like this," I replied to Micho's question.

"I have no reason to lie, to Maita-kun or any of you for that matter. You forget, my life is on the line here too," Izuru replied.

"I can believe that, I think Izu-chan's telling the truth," said Shiro.

"Yeah, it doesn't make since that he would lie when his life is on the line as well," Beigoma added.

"Yeah but all of you guys are forgetting Izu is creepy and majorly insane," said Jonathan. "I for one am not going to believe a word he says without any solid proof!" Then Jonathan turned to me. "Sorry Aki, but your claim just isn't good enough to cover him, not with the way he is."

"It's fine…I understand, I guess?" I replied in an unsure way.

Izuru sighed in exasperation. "Ugh, you people really are tiresome. This is quickly becoming very boring. We're not going to get anywhere if we don't learn to trust each other."

"He's right, by not working together you're practically sealing your fates already," Monokuma added. "You guys should know that each execution I plan is really big and packed with loads of creativity and imagination! I've got them personally designed for each one of you, you know. It would be a shame if I had to ship back your remains to your friends and families with a little card that said: _sorry your loved ones died because they couldn't learn to work together_."

"Y-You'd seriously do that?" Sawa asked with an incredible amount of terror in her eyes.

"Cross my heart and hope to kill," Monokuma replied.

"Guys, can we just make a decision already?" Cam asked. "I really don't want to die, 'kay?"

"Ugh, alright fine!" Jonathan exclaimed. Then he turned to Izuru. "Can you prove that Hajime was holding the knife?"

"Of course I can, I wasn't going to depend on Maita-kun's word alone you know?" Izuru replied. "The proof is on the knife itself," Izuru said as he showed us all the knife, stained pink with blood.

"What, you mean the b-b-blood?!" Aya exclaimed with bug eyes. She then began to cower in fear. "Usually sharks are attracted to blood but I can't stand it."

"Same here, the sight alone makes me nauseous," Jonathan replied. "What's your damn point Izu, hurry up and explain so you can put that thing away!"

Izuru snickered at the way Jonathan and Aya were acting. "Well smart guy, this knife is saturated in blood from the handle to the blade. Now what do you think this means?"

I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "That's the murder weapon, right?"

"Correct, this is indeed **the weapon used to kill Hajime Hinata** …and also **the weapon that Hinata-kun used to try and kill our killer** ," Izuru explained.

"Hold on, I object!" Keiko exclaimed suddenly, shocking us all.

Izuru grunted in annoyance. "Ugh, what now?!"

Keiko folded her arms and spoke calmly despite Izuru's rude way of addressing her. "I'll admit that Mr. Hajime Hinata might have used that knife to try and commit murder himself. However, I do not think that knife is the weapon that was used to kill Mr. Hajime Hinata."

"Wait, you think there are **two murder weapons**?!" Soshun asked in surprise.

Cam looked to Monokuma. "Just how many deadly things do you have lying around here anyway?!"

"A lot, so it's entirely possible that **more than one weapon** was used in this crime. But I'm not telling, you've got to figure it out for yourselves!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"Possible? Yes. Did it actually happen? No, it did not," Izuru replied. "There's only **one murder weapon** in this case. If you morons would listen to me already we'd have this cleared up by now."

"Well I don't believe it," Keiko said plainly. "I think you're just calling it the murder weapon because it was the only thing you found that was coated in blood. But the truth is that I also found something sharp and covered in blood." That statement shocked all of us, all except for Izuru.

"Oh god Keiko, dammit what did I tell you before?!" Nate exclaimed.

"And what did I tell you before, Mr. Nate Baron?!" Keiko shouted. "I will not believe it until I have been proven wrong without a single shadow of doubt! I know who the killer is! Her identity is **Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Gamble** r!"

"Toake Yasuhiro?!" I repeated in surprise.

"*Gasp*, you figured it out?!" Monokuma exclaimed in a scared manner.

"Hey don't encourage her ramblings!" Nate shouted at Monokuma.

"But Akasaka-sempai, I thought you changed your mind about implicating Ludenberg-sempai?" Aya asked to Keiko. "After I woke up from fainting you told me yourself, remember?"

"After taking a little time to think I considered the possibility that I might be letting personal feelings cloud my judgement, but my faith in the cards dealt to me has been restored with the help of Ms. Azami-tan Jagaimo!" Keiko bolstered with fire in her eyes.

Azami seemed just as confused as the rest of us. "Me hebi? But I don't remember doing anything Ni-ban hebi."

Jose laughed at Azami's reply. "Ni-ban?! Number two?! I get it because she's the second-rate gambler!"

Cam seemed worried for his friend. "Dude, shut up already! Akasaka-sempai will tear you to shreds!"

"Akasaka-san, what makes you think that Yasuhiro-san is the killer?" I asked Keiko out of curiosity.

Keiko reached into her tuxedo jacket's pocket and pulled out two objects. One of them was a frilly white handkerchief that appeared to be stained with blood, it was bundled around the second object. Keiko opened up the bundle in her left palm to show the second object to us, it was small and metallic and also appeared to be stained with blood. It almost looked like some kind of ring, not one that I would consider a good fashion statement though. "I give you the true murder weapon, Ms. Toake Yasuhiro's Armament of the Blood oath."

"Armament of what?" Soshun replied in confusion.

"The Armament of the Blood oath," Keiko repeated. "It's one of several wicked trinkets that Ms. Toake Yasuhiro often wears." She picked the ring up with her gloved right hand. "This is by far her most powerful one though, with this ugly piece of sharpened metal she has won countless battles in the game of chance. She always wears this on her right index finger wherever she goes, she almost never takes it off. It's one of her most prized possessions."

"Um, isn't that just a worthless piece of costume jewelry?" Jonathan asked.

Keiko shook her head. "It's made of real steel and sharpened to a razor edge's point, Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro or rather her other half Ms. Celestia Ludenberg wears this as a sign of recognition and as a warning to those who try to mess with her and cheat her in any way. I know for a fact that this weaponized ring has drawn blood before. My blood as a matter of fact," she said with a frown.

"What?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Seriously?!" Jonathan exclaimed in surprise.

"Ludenberg-sempai hurt you, Akasaka-sempai?!" Aya exclaimed in fear.

Keiko growled. "Though I do not like to admit it, it was my own fault for being reckless around her. You see I cannot speak for who Ms. Toake Yasuhiro was once known as but as for Ms. Celestia Ludenberg she is not like us at all. I feel as if she is not human at all."

"Not human at all? What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: CELESTIA'S RING

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: CELESTIA LUDENBERG

"She has a certain air about her, she can be friendly at most times and almost seem completely odd and strange but all around a good person. However, she has a hidden side to her as well. The aggressive side that makes her truly known as the Ultimate Gambler. She sees other people as insignificant and worthless, and also has this nasty habit of giving ranks to the people she meets, none of which rank high enough for her to honor their existence. To her human beings are trash of the worst kind, not at all worthy to so much as breathe the same air as though. But to her life is also a game, a poker game if you will, and she does not like to reveal her tells. So she will hide her true self behind a friendly and strange demeanor, and will only take off this mask for those who continue to infuriate her. Such as me," Keiko explained.

"Wow, I guess the things I heard about her were only half-truths then, eh?" Micho asked.

"To her most humans lie in D-rank, that means she doesn't acknowledge or even accept their existence, she will merely use them as pawns to further her needs. But then there's me, I am the only person in her world to be considered F-rank that means that she thinks of me as the lowest specimen to walk the face of the earth. I don't have the right to exist in her eyes." She looked to Aya. "I think you misunderstood my statement about her Ms. Aya Kisaragi. I do not wish her to be alive because she is my rival, I know that she is alive because she would never sacrifice herself for anyone else. The thought of her committing suicide because of lingering feelings of guilt does not suit her at all. In my opinion, Ms. Celestia Ludenberg is the worst kind of monster imaginable. And that is why I must defeat her!" Keiko shouted as her eyes burned with fire once again. "She is not dead! I know this to be the truth! She's the killer, Mr. Monokuma I declare that you bring the guilty party out at once so the others can see for themselves!"

"Are you sure?" Monokuma replied as he cocked his head to the side. "I mean if you guys think you're ready we can go ahead and get started if you want but…?"

"No!" the rest of us all shouted.

"Akasaka-sempai, I get that you don't like Ludenberg-sempai all that much but don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself? You're kind of acting as stubborn as a bull shark right now," Aya replied.

"Seriously, Keiko you're putting your vendetta with Toake ahead of our lives, you know?!" Nate exclaimed.

"I cannot stand to let that tawdry tramp hold the title of the world's greatest card player! I must be the best, I vowed to myself that I would rise to the top and be known as the world's top card handler! Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro or Ms. Celestia Ludenberg or whatever the devil that harlot wants to call herself is standing in the way of that dream, all the while getting by on mere luck! I cannot stand people like her, people who think of life and the world as a waste of time and prefer to live in their own fantasy world! There's no doubt in my mind that someone as cold and manipulative as her would remain in this so-called "game" for as long as she possibly could, she'd cheat and lie the whole way to do so! The killer is Ms. Toake Yasuhiro, case closed!" Keiko exclaimed, not backing down.

"She's gone off the deep end, Kei's freaking mental!" Jonathan exclaimed as he pulled at his hair in disbelief.

"I can understand having a rival like that, a person who above all else you must defeat," Mukuro chimed in. "Of course, each and every person I've come across who's even a fraction better than me I killed them off, but that's not Akasaka's style. She can only prove that she's better than Yasuhiro by beating her in gambling, and she won't be satisfied until that goal is filled."

"But still there's a chance that Kei-chan is full of it and Celeste-chan really is dead," said Shiro. "How do we find out who is right and who is wrong?"

"Simple, Akasaka you mentioned that Jagaimo gave you some sort of newfound resolve to assert your claim, right? I'd like to hear what it is if you please?" Mukuro asked as she folded her arms and tried to be the voice of reason.

"Yeah, I'd kind of like to hear it out too, if that's okay?" Sawa asked. "There's something I want to confirm for myself."

"And Azami-tan's still confused about what Ni-ban is talking about hebi. Please continue Ni-ban hebi," said Azami.

"Qui, we must examine every clue we come across. Eliminate all possibilities, no?" Connie replied.

Jonathan groaned. "Ugh, dammit alright already. Spell it out in the simplest terms possible though, I'm tired of having to hear multiple explanations."

Izuru sighed in defeat. "This is pointless and just a big waste of our time, but if discovering that for yourselves will make you happy, who am I to stand in the way of a person's good time?" he asked as he held his hands up and shrugged his shoulders.

"Very well then, I shall explain my theory now!" Keiko exclaimed.

'Here we go again,' I thought to myself as I prepared for yet another debate. 'Same drill as before, if Keiko says something that I know couldn't possibly true I've got to contradict her…no matter how she may react,' I thought as I dreaded what she might do to me if I disagreed with her in her current state.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"Here is what happened. Mr. Hajime Hinata was meeting up with the second to last remaining student in Monokuma's game, Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Again, what makes you so certain it's her, Keiko?" Nate asked.

"Easy, the murder weapons! Both Mr. Hajime Hinata and Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro were planning on murdering one another and finally finishing the game, as such they both took up their arms. Mr. Hajime Hinata's weapon of choice was **the knife** that Mr. Izuru Kamukura is so proud of," said Keiko.

"You sure know how to sugarcoat things, just come flat out and tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about," Izuru replied.

Keiko ignored Izuru and continued. "While Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro's weapon of choice was her **weaponized ring** , the Armament of the Blood Oath!"

"Can that little ring seriously do that much damage though?" Soshun asked.

"It does look pretty sharp, I bet if you put enough force behind it you might be able to pull it off," said Shiro.

"Indeed, and I know this to be true from personal experience. Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro's alter ego Ms. Celestia Ludenberg is nothing but force. If you mess with her you will suffer consequences most gruesome." Keiko pointed to her right arm. "Once she scratched me so badly that it took over a month for the wound to heal, the scar isn't exactly noticeable but it still stings every time I attempt to touch it. Trust me, making a hole into Mr. Hajime Hinata's abdomen would have been no problem for Ms. Celestia Ludenberg's force added to her ring's sharp edge. And **the ring is serrated** as well which explains **the jagged wound** that Mr. Hajime Hinata sustained."

"How do you know the wound was jagged exactly?" Shiro asked.

"Oh, that's right you were too much of a coward to come and see the crime scene, weren't you?" Nodaka asked Shiro.

"You don't have to say it like that," Shiro replied sheepishly.

"There is no room left for doubt. **Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro's ring** is indeed the murder weapon, the wound pattern says so!" Keiko exclaimed.

"She does make a valid point," said Micho.

"Azami-tan still wants to know how she's involved though hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

'The wound pattern? The Monokuma File did mention that the wound pattern was jagged and could be caused from a weapon with a serrated edge,' I thought to myself. 'I guess the Monokuma File could have just been using knives and daggers as suggestions. Could Keiko really be right?' Then a thought occurred to me. 'Wait a minute, there's something Keiko missed in the Monokuma File that explains why the ring couldn't possibly be the murder weapon. I just have to convince her now.' (Ammunition needed: **Monokuma File** , Contradiction to refute: **"Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro's ring"** ) "Hold up!" I exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Akasaka-san, there's a problem with your theory. In the Monokuma File it gives a description of the murder weapon. The description states that the murder weapon should indeed have a serrated edge which could imply the ring being the murder weapon but it also gives a description of the length and width of the weapon needed to make the wound. The Monokuma File says that the murder weapon is approximately **6 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter**. The ring couldn't be the murder weapon because it's too small," I explained.

Keiko's eyes widened. "But…but…but…" she seemed badly shaken. As I thought she had completely overlooked that fact. She was really hoping for this to prove that Celestia was the killer. She looked down at the floor and remained silent for a few moments.

"It looks like her claims have been broken, now then as I was saying before…" Izuru started to explain his findings against before Keiko interrupted him.

"I refuse," the Ultimate Croupier muttered.

"Seriously?" Izuru replied with a sigh.

Keiko's fire returned and with it she shouted, "I refuse to believe that she's really gone! Forget the ring this is the _real_ proof that Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro is alive!" She pocketed the ring and then held up the thing that she bundled the ring with earlier, the white handkerchief. "As the Ultimate Croupier I refuse to back down from a challenge even when the hand I have been dealt is lousy, to your accusations I say "hit me" because you cannot refute this evidence! This handkerchief belongs solely to her, it another thing that she specially made, it has her initials on it, C. L. see! And it even smells like her, this can't belong to anyone else!"

Jonathan sweatdropped. "Um, how the hell do you know what she smells like?"

"I see, so that handkerchief belongs to Ludenberg-sempai, eh?" Aya replied. "Akasaka-sempai, where did you find it exactly if I may ask?"

Keiko gave us a triumphant smile, like she knew for sure that this one clue would prove her right. "Aha, this is the part where I must thank Ms. Azami-tan Jagaimo, for you see she is the one who located Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro's handkerchief."

Then Azami smiled and gasped as if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in her head. "Oh, now Azami-tan remembers hebi! That was the thing she found in the waste basket hebi!"

Micho gasped in surprise. "I had forgotten all about that." And then a disgusted look appeared on her face. "Wait, Azami-tan, don't tell me you actually fished that out of there? After what was on top of it?"

Azami cocked her head to the side. "Yeah Azami-tan thought that it would be a good clue hebi, and she was right hebi! And to think she would have missed it if she didn't give the waste basket a second look hebi!"

'Waste basket?' I thought to myself. 'Wait, do they mean…?' My eyes widened with surprise and a red blush appeared on my cheeks. 'Oh boy.'

Micho had a sort of scared look on her face. "Um, Akasaka-chan, you haven't been holding onto that this whole time have you?"

"Whatever do you mean? This is a great clue. This proves that Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro was in that room." Keiko showed us all the handkerchief. It was bloody in several spots, there was some old blood stains and fresh blood stains as well, and the fresh blood stains appeared to be smeared as if the handkerchief wiped at something bloody previously.

Izuru snickered in reply to Keiko's comment.

"What the devil is so funny?" Keiko asked as she glared at him.

"Nothing, it's just you've saved me the trouble of having to explain things without even knowing it, that's all. It's kind of ironic, you've got a key clue in your hands but are making the wrong assumptions to it," Izuru replied.

"What are you talking about, doesn't this prove that Akasaka-san is telling the truth and Celeste is still alive?" Chihiro asked in a concerned tone. Celeste being one of her friends probably had something to do with her belief, she most likely wanted it to be true more than Keiko did. But unfortunately that hope was soon shattered by the Ultimate Hope.

"Remember when I said earlier that when I first discovered the crime scene I also found something interesting in the classroom's waste basket?" Izuru asked.

Nodaka was trying to figure things out as well. "Wait, you don't mean…?"

"Yes, I'm talking about the handkerchief, I found it earlier but I had no idea who C. L. was so I decided to leave it behind and not take it with me like I had done with the murder weapon and the gloves. But after we all started investigating I discovered C. L.'s identity and determined what the handkerchief was doing there in the first place," Izuru explained.

"The devil lies!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Just what does it all mean then?" Micho asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know counselor?" Izuru replied.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"The handkerchief is definitive proof! It was **found** **at the crime scene** and it is covered in blood! No further questions are necessary!" Keiko exclaimed.

"According to Akasaka-sempai, there's no doubt that it's Ludenberg-sempai's handkerchief so I guess this does prove that she's the killer," said Aya.

"Yeah, Kei even said **it smelled like her** , weird as that sounds," said Jonathan.

"I'm still on the fence, there's **other factors** that just don't add up," Nate said uneasily.

Connie seemed a tad bit scared. "But if we don't come to a decision soon it is au revoir for us all, no?"

"I for one want to know why the killer went through so much effort to hide the murder weapon that they left two crucial pieces of evidence behind instead, the handkerchief and the other glove," said Yasuke. "It's like they weren't really thinking ahead at all."

"Maybe they were just **panicking** ," said Cam. "I mean if I had just killed someone I think I'd start making rash decisions too."

"I'm not so sure either, something's off. About the gloves and about the handkerchief, their placement and the evidence pertaining to them. It almost feels like **it's all intentional** ," said Micho.

"You're just reading too much into things, it's obvious who the culprit is, why won't you all just agree with me already?!" Keiko exclaimed.

'The handkerchief left behind at the crime scene proves that Taeko Yasuhiro AKA Celestia Ludenberg is the killer. Is that really true though? Something seems off about all of this. Hmm, maybe…? Could it be?' I contemplated all the evidence and then came to one definitive conclusion. (Ammunition needed to absorb: **"it's all intentional"** , Contradiction to refute: **"found at the crime scene"**.) "That's it!" I exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"What if we've been thinking about this all wrong?" I asked. "We decided that the killer didn't know this class trial was going to happen since there were no other students left besides Hinata-kun and the killer. But what if it's the exact opposite?" I asked.

"What do you mean, the killer knew they were going to be on trial?" Shiro asked.

"Ridiculous! We've already settled this fact, Ms. Mukuro Ikusaba even explained it, or are you just hard of remembering Mr. Akira Maita?!" Keiko exclaimed.

"No as a matter of fact I think he's right," said Micho.

"What?!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Think about it, you go through so much trouble to remove a murder weapon from the scene of the crime and you also take along one of the gloves used for hiding prints. Thinking about it logically, the killer wanted to remove evidence so it would be harder to reach a conclusion," Micho explained. But even after all that they left behind one of the gloves as well as a handkerchief, both of which also have evidence on them? It sounds a little farfetched to say that they forgot them or they didn't think removal was necessary, doesn't it?"

Yasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Unless, they purposely left them there for us to find. That explains it all. That's why they only took one glove, otherwise we'd think that that were the person wearing the gloves and we'd have no way to tie it back to Hinata," Yasuke explained. "And leaving behind the handkerchief makes us turn the finger and point to Yasuhiro. These are red herrings!"

"Red what now?" Cam asked, confused as to what Yasuke was talking about.

"Red herrings, things that distract, deceive, or mislead you into coming up with a false conclusion," Jose explained. "Killers use them all the time in mystery novels. Which leads me to believe that Celestia Ludenberg, as she likes to be called, is not our killer."

Keiko seemed horrified. "No…no that can't be. That can't be. It can't be, it can't be, it can't be!" she exclaimed as she pulled at her hair. She rolled up the handkerchief into a ball and then threw it away in disgust. Izuru caught it and then unfurled it and examined it closer.

"Yes, that would be my best guess," Izuru said smugly. "Believe it or not, reading mystery novels gives you good ideas about getting away with crimes, this leads me to believe our killer has a knack for deception and mistruth, and as Akasaka-chan so greatly implores Celestia Ludenberg is the best liar. Her profile even specified that she won a tournament called the Liar Game in which she became known as the Queen of Liars. But since we have evidence linking her to the crime that leads me to believe that this is someone other than the Queen of Liars, which means the only other possible fate that could have befallen Celestia Ludenberg is…death."

"Well I guess that's a solid alibi for the murder," said Jonathan.

"So we can scratch one name off the list, are you okay Akasaka-sempai?" Aya asked uneasily.

Keiko didn't respond. She seemed withdrawn and depressed. And Chihiro looked crestfallen as well, Cam was holding onto her hand in order to comfort her but it didn't seem to be doing much.

Nate sighed and said, "Sorry Keiko, I know how much you wanted it to be true. But at least this means she didn't murder anyone, that's some good news, right?"

"I guess," she simply said.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: CELESTIA LUDENBERG

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: CELESTIA'S HANDKERCHIEF

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: THE KILLER'S RED HERRINGS

"Okay now if that unpleasantness is out of the way can we continue please?" Izuru asked.

"You're horrible," said Sawa.

"Don't care," he replied. "Now let's talk more about this handkerchief, shall we?"

"Why, you already said it doesn't matter, right?" Shiro asked.

"I never said that, I simply said that it wasn't Celestia Ludenberg who left it there. But the blood doesn't lie," Izuru said as he pointed at the fresh blood smears. "The killer used this handkerchief for more than just a red herring, he also used it for a specific purpose. Anyone care to venture a guess concerning what? No, too tough? Here's a hint, think back to the purpose of the gloves."

'The gloves? He's saying the gloves Hajime was wearing and the handkerchief the killer used are related somehow? He's got be referring to…to…ugh dammit it's on the tip of my tongue,' I thought to myself.

* * *

HANGMAN'S GAMBIT

* * *

 **Warning:** this game will be a word search instead of hangman since I do not know how the life of me to make it seem anymore interactive. To play hangman you need to actually be the one playing it, writing it on paper is just too complicated and time wasting, but I hope everyone likes word searches. This one's easy since it's the first class trial but they will get harder as time goes on.

I closed my eyes and felt like all time around me had stopped as I took a deep breath and let myself think clearly. And suddenly my mind was bombarded with letters, countless letters in meaningless patterns. Somehow I felt like the word I needed was in there.

A-D-I-T-O-R-T-P-A-S-Q-W-C-F-O-L-B

Z-D-K-L-G-R-T-W-I-S-Q-D-U-F-I-E-C

F-I-N-G-E-R-P-R-I-N-T-S-O-F-C-O-U-R

S-E-K-L-O-R-T-C-A-S-E-D-U-F-P-E-C-P

H-D-P-L-O-V-U-W-A-S-Q-D-U-F-O-E-H

(Need a twelve letter word)

Then I opened my eyes. "F-I-N-G-E-R-P-R-I-N-T-S. Fingerprints, that's it!" I exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Fingerprints, the handkerchief was used to wipe off fingerprints!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, excellent deduction Maita-kun," Izuru replied. "Yes, indeed while Hinata-kun used the gloves to make sure he could hold onto the knife and not leave any **fingerprints** behind the killer didn't have the luxury of wearing a pair of gloves so when they grabbed the knife from Hinata-kun during the struggle they stabbed him and got their fingerprints onto the knife, using the handkerchief they were able to wipe them off which would explain the blood smears on the handkerchief. The killer wanted to leave no trace of themselves behind, just two other suspects."

"Two suspects, wait don't you just mean one Kokushibyou-kun hebi?" Azami asked.

"No I mean two, you see Hinata-kun was trying to frame someone as well by wearing the gloves, a certain someone who was known for always wearing gloves," Izuru explained.

"Someone who wore gloves?" Connie asked. "Hmm, besides Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts and I, I don't believe anyone else mentioned wears gloves, no?"

'No, Izuru's on to something. There was one other person who wore gloves, one of the suspects. And that person is…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied verbally, "Kyoko Kirigiri, right?"

"Bravo once again, Maita-kun," Izuru replied. "Yes, these gloves belonged to Kyoko Kirigiri. Maita-kun must have been wearing them in order to place the blame on her if his plan for murder succeeded. Which in all likelihood probably means that Kyoko Kirigiri is dead as well."

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: KYOKO'S GLOVES

AMMUNITION UPDATED: KYOKO KIRIGIRI

"Well defense counselor, do you still not believe that Hinata-kun is just as guilty as his killer, perhaps even more so since it's starting to look like he was the first one to attack?" Izuru asked.

"I'll admit, that it is starting to look like Hinata-kun intended to commit murder but I still find a problem with the gloves," Micho replied. "Why go through such effort to hide one of them and then leave one behind? It seems odd, even for the sake of a red herring."

"But I'm not implying that the killer was trying to frame Kyoko Kirigiri, I'm trying to prove that's what Hinata-kun did, and if you still find a problem with that then maybe we should just hold off on that subject and come back to it later. Let's continue through my investigation shall we? As I was saying Maita-kun and I met up after I returned to the crime scene and we had a little chat, he went on and on about calling the police and doing something to help. So innocent, he had no idea what was going on at all. And then after we parted ways that was when I collapsed and met all of you, and then after we all split up to look for clues I went to go investigate the murder weapon some more, and in the process I discovered several interesting clues as well as an interesting engraving on the bottom of the knife handle." Izuru showed us all the bottom of the knife's handle. It appeared to be an odd wolf-shaped symbol. "And underneath the blood I also found a small engraving on the blade." Izuru pointed to where the small engraving on the blade was, and it took a little bit of squinting but I managed to make out what it read:

 _M. Ikusaba – the blood-soaked cub_

"M. Ikusaba, is there anyone here with that name, I wonder?" Izuru asked sarcastically, knowing full well that a person named Ikusaba was sitting inside the court room.

Mukuro seemed to become a little unnerved at the presentation of this new evidence. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, she began to sweat in bullets, and a horrified gasp left her mouth. Her face was the very essence of despair. "No. Is that why…? How?" she muttered.

"Um Mukuro Onee-chan, why does the murder weapon have your name on it?" Beigoma asked a little hesitant with fear.

"It's because this knife belongs to her," Izuru explained. "I did a little digging in the headmaster's office while we were all investigating, and I found information on each and every student who was involved in Monokuma's game, as well as you all, my new classmates."

"Oh, so that's where you found those student profiles?" I asked.

"Correct, now back to the knife." Izuru turned the knife over again to show off the wolf symbol on the bottom of the handle. "This is called the symbol of Fenrir, it's a mark that's tattooed on the bodies of each member of an elite group of soldiers for hire who work out of the Middle East called the Fenrir Mercenary Corps, and Ikusaba-chan here is an ex-member of Fenrir."

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: MUKURO'S SURVIVAL KNIFE

"Holy crap! That explains the dog tattoo on her hand!" Jonathan exclaimed. Mukuro instinctively slunk her right hand back into the sleeve of Makoto's hoodie when her tattoo was brought up. The subject of her tattoo must have made her really uncomfortable.

"Wow, I knew Ikusaba-chan was the Ultimate Soldier but I thought she was like a military soldier or something. You're really a mercenary?" Micho asked Mukuro.

Mukuro frowned and replied, "I _was_ a mercenary. I'm not anymore, not since coming to Hope's Peak Academy."

"Whoa, dude I've heard of Fenrir before," said Nate. "They say that a single member of Fenrir is equal to the strength of 100 regular soldiers." Then he sighed, "I guess you really do know what it feels like to be me."

"You're forgetting the difference between us," Mukuro replied. "I've really killed people, I did horrible, unspeakable things solely for the sake of completing the mission I was given. Half of the time, I didn't even know what we were fighting for, we were just paid to fight and to kill. And so I did. I am a monster, I've come to terms with that. And that's why I gave that knife away to a very special friend of mine. My friend promised to take care of it and take care of me, I'm really indebted to them. They were the reason I enrolled into Hope's Peak Academy in the first place, so I could be closer to them."

"Ikusaba-san, this special friend of yours…?" Chihiro asked in a sort of playful voice. "Their name wouldn't happen to be Makoto Naegi, would it?" she asked.

Mukuro blushed a deep red and gasped. "N-No! N-No it's n-not Makoto!" she shouted in anger.

"Well then who is it exactly?" Jose asked, speaking up for the first time in a long time. The Ultimate Historian looked to the Ultimate Hope. "That was your ploy all along wasn't it Kamukura-san? You knew that Ikusaba-san was connected to someone, her special friend in this case, and you think that that same special friend is one of our dead students, correct?"

Izuru nodded and added, "Either that or our killer."

"Then the next thing we have to figure out is the identity of Mukuro-chan's special friend, right?" Sawa asked. "Sounds easy enough."

Mukuro seemed unnerved again. "Wait, hold up a sec..."

"I think you kids get what to do now," said Monokuma, "Go ahead and debate for as long as your little hearts desire…just don't take too long, m'kay?"

"But I…" Mukuro tried to interject but before she could we were starting our endless debate yet again.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"One thing is apparent here, Mukuro Ikusaba **is more connected** to this game than she lets on. Now I want to hear you come clean. What do you really have to do with this game, Ikusaba-chan?" Izuru asked.

Mukuro tried to remain calm as she was bombarded with questions, choosing to hide behind her icy glare and her intimidating aura. "I don't know what you're talking about. All of this **a surprise to me** as much as it is a surprise to all of you."

"But then how did the knife you gave your special friend end up here, Ikusaba-chan? According to Monokuma the only people in the school when all this commotion was going on were **the twenty-eight students** involved in his game," Micho explained. She folded her arms and tried her best to be the voice of reason. "Come on Ikusaba-chan, you can tell us, we're friends right?"

"I told you people already, I don't know anything. Maybe my friend just left the knife in her locker and one of the students stumbled upon it. It's all just a big coincidence," Mukuro replied.

"So it's a "her", eh?" Jose asked with a smirk. "That narrows it down a little bit."

Mukuro's eyes widened when she realized that she made a slip of the tongue. "You're all just jumping to conclusions, I'm telling you that I'm not involved in this and neither is my friend. Are you hard of hearing or something?!" she exclaimed.

"Suddenly getting all defensive, that just makes you look guiltier you know?" Nagito replied with his usual care-free smile.

"Ikusaba-san, it's okay if you're hiding something but I just want you to know that you don't have to carry this burden on your own," said Chihiro. The meek girl frowned and put on a sad face. "You always seem to be hiding something after all, in **all the time that I've known you** , you've hardly opened up to anyone at all."

"For the last time. I don't know what is going on here. My friend is not involved in this, for your information I wasn't particularly close to any of the suspects on our list, I'm **not close to anyone at all** actually. My friend is innocent in all of this!" she shouted with fury. "So get off my damn back already and leave me the hell alone!"

Jonathan ducked for cover. "Look out, she can make a weapon out of anything!"

'Mukuro says that she doesn't have anything to do with this, but that knife says otherwise,' I thought to myself. 'Could her friend really be one of the suspects? How could we even find out? No one here knows her that well…except, yeah maybe she could help us out.' (Ammunition needed to absorb: **"all the time that I've known you"** , Contradiction to refute: **"not close to anyone at all"** ) "I can see through your lies!" I shouted, getting everyone's attention.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"You're lying Ikusaba-san, and there's someone here who can prove it. Fujisaki-san?" I called out to Chihiro.

"Eh, me?" Chihiro seemed surprised that I was calling on her.

"You and Ikusaba-san are in the same class together, right?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah, th-that's right," Chihiro muttered, probably a little nervous about speaking so publicly. "W-We're both in the **78** **th** **class**. All the people who were involved in this game were our classmates…and our friends."

"Ah, I see where you're going with this Aki, Chi can tell us what Muku's trying to hide," said Jonathan.

"But I can't. I'm sorry, I don't think I should go against Ikusaba-san's wishes," Chihiro replied.

"Well that plan went down the drain fast," said Jonathan.

"Yo, ugly computer girl?" Yasuke called out to Chihiro.

"Ugly?" she repeated as she began to tear up.

"How dare you talk to my princess like that?!" Cam exclaimed. "I've got half a mind to come over there and slug you!"

Yasuke scoffed. "Don't even try, I just want to know what the big deal is. Listen up Fujisaki, all we want you to do is tell us if Ikusaba's lying or not. Was she close to anyone in your class?"

"But I…" Chihiro tried to reply but she was cut off by Izuru.

"Don't even bother trying to get information out of that one. She's completely useless when it comes to anything else besides computers," the Ultimate Hope said smarmily.

Chihiro's tears began to grow and she started to sniffle as well.

"Trust me, I read her student profile. The most fascinating thing in there was redacted because it would've caused an uproar if it was found out. Chihiro Fujisaki is an incredibly troublesome girl who is weak beyond comparison, she won't even tell the truth if it means hurting someone else's feelings because she has a desperate need to be wanted and loved by everyone. She's the very definition of pathetic," Izuru said harshly.

Chihiro cried and cried. And with each sniffle she began to make us all grow in anger towards Izuru.

"Hey what the hell's your problem you creep?!" Nodaka exclaimed. "You get your rocks off by making fun of people who can't fight back?!"

"Nothing like that no, it's just that I can't stand people who pretend to be something they're not. In case you haven't noticed we live in a world that's dominated by the majority, the majority being liars, cheats, and talentless people. I dream to one day bring about a world that's fun for everyone, a world where the minority finally have a say, and I won't let anyone else get in my way. I despise phonies so I despise Fujisaki-chan. Understand now?" Izuru asked.

"You need a damn attitude adjustment dude, at this point I'm not even sure why the hell we're listening to you!" Nate exclaimed.

"As a defense attorney I can only take so much prejudice from the other side, you are like the worst kind of prosecutor, all you care about is getting convictions, you don't care who gets hurt along the way!" Micho exclaimed.

Cam cracked his knuckles. "I swear to god if you say one more bad thing about Chihiro-chan I will freaking end you!"

"Yada, yada, yada. I believe we were in the middle of solving a mystery, enough wasting time following the leads of weak little phonies," Izuru remarked purely to get a rise out of Cam, which made Cam take the bait and snap.

"That's it…!" Cam exclaimed. The Ultimate AV Technician climbed up on top of the circular banister and almost jumped at Izuru, luckily Nate grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back down into his seat before he could do any real damage…which probably just would have been to himself, knowing Izuru. "Let me go, let me go dammit!" Cam shouted as he struggled against Nate's restraint. "That scarecrow looking mother fucker is going to get his!"

"Scarecrow?" Izuru repeated. "That's a new one."

Finally, Cam managed to calm down when Chihiro took a hold of his hand again. She stopped crying and appeared to be back to her usual self again, seeing how Cam stood up for her like that must have made her happy.

"Ugh!" Monokuma groaned. "This is boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, so incredibly boring! What the hell is this?! I thought I said back upstairs that I didn't want any more sappy afterschool special bullshit, get back to the damn debate already!" Then the diabolical bear looked to Mukuro. "And since Mukuro-chan doesn't feel like sharing and Chihiro-chan is sickingly nice enough to respect her wishes I'll tell you who her special friend is."

"You will?!" Shiro exclaimed in glee.

"Wait, why so generous all of a sudden?" Sawa asked in suspicion.

"Has Monsieur Monokuma perhaps sprung a gasket?" Connie asked. And then her creepy smile returned again. "This is the perfect opportunity to see what makes him tick, no?"

Monokuma sweat bullets. "Ugh, again that's so creepy. Don't let the crazy French girl take me apart! I've already lost twenty of my bodies today for crying out loud!"

"Would you can the banter and just tell us already, you dumb bear?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"Apparently someone still hasn't learned any manners, just for that I changed my mind, I'm not giving you the friend's name and you can all blame Yasuke-kun's nasty attitude for it.

"Way to go you dirty manga otaku," said Nodaka.

"Shut up, he was bluffing to begin with anyway," Yasuke replied. "He wasn't going to really tell us anything."

"Oops, figured me out have you? Maybe you do have a big brain after all, eh?" Monokuma replied. "Yep, you're right, I wasn't going to tell you who the friend was…not the name at least anyway, but since the rest of you have proven to be good little sleuths so far I'll reward you by telling you that Mukuro's friend was involved in my game, and Mukuro herself knew that before I even told you kiddies who the suspects were," Monokuma said as he laughed manically.

Suddenly, all eyes fell on Mukuro who remained silent. She knew something about all of this, the truth was finally coming out. "Ikusaba-san, just tell us what you know already. Please, we can't do this unless we all work together. You have to trust us."

She didn't respond.

Izuru sighed. "Looks like we're going to have to force her to tell us what she knows," said Izuru. And then another debate began.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

This time Micho started us off. "Come on Ikusaba-chan, we're never going to get anywhere if you don't confide in us. What do you know?"

Mukuro sighed and replied, "I can't. I just can't, I swore to her that I wouldn't betray her. You don't understand, I'm who I am today because of her. She's **my precious Onee-chan** , I can't betray her."

"Who, can't you betray?" I asked. "Can you at least tell us that?"

"…" Mukuro remained silent.

Yasuke sighed in exasperation. "This is getting us nowhere fast, we're better off just figuring it out on our own."

"But how do we go about doing that?" Sawa asked.

"Simple, according to Monokuma Muku's friend **was involved in the game** ," said Jonathan, "And thanks to Muku's slip of the tongue we know it's a girl. So that just leaves the female suspects. We go through them one by one until we find the right answer and then presto, we have our killer."

"Okay so out of all twenty-eight suspects, there's a total of a **thirteen girls**. So that's thirteen people we need to sort through, no biggie," Micho said, trying to sound encouraging and failing badly.

"And you're forgetting, we've already confirmed one of them is dead," said Keiko.

Cam sighed in exasperation. "You need to work on your pep-talks DA," he said.

"This is ridiculous, Ms. Mukuro Ikusaba I implore you to reconsider your standing, hindering the trial isn't going to end well for any of us!" Keiko exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I just can't. If she really is the killer then identifying her will only seal her fate. I want to get out of here just as badly as you all do but I can't tell you who she is, and other than her identity I have no way of knowing if she's truly guilty or not. I'm **just as in the dark as the rest of you** ," Mukuro said with a solemn expression.

"Man, with all these secrets and **lies** it's hard to keep track of what's real and what isn't. Wait is any of this real?" Shiro asked himself.

'Mukuro claims that knowing the identity of her friend might hinder her attempts to protect her, which proves she thinks that her friend might be the killer too. But still…' I stared at Mukuro. Her face was as expressionless as could be, 'It's all a little odd. I mean, if her friend was accused of being the killer wouldn't she be trying to prove that she wasn't the killer instead of refusing to talk about at all? Am I just reading too much into things?' I asked myself. My thoughts drifted back to all my conversations with Mukuro that day.

Flashback:

" _What did the academy promise you?"_

 _It was so sudden and out of the blue I barely even had time to consider what she was asking. "Eh?" I replied in response to her question._

 _Her expression didn't change. "They had to have promised you something for you to even consider participating in this event? Correct?"_

Flashback:

" _Fujisaki and I are in the same class. The 78_ _th_ _class, like them. They were our classmates," Mukuro suddenly spoke up, alarming us all. She really needed to speak more, every time she would open her mouth it surprised us._

" _Wait? You two know each other?" Nodaka asked. "How come you waited this long to say anything?"_

" _Fujisaki is shy and I just didn't see the point. Now that things are explained, Monokuma please continue, there's thirteen suspects left if my math is right," Mukuro blurted out._

 _Even Monokuma looked taken back. "Um…okay? Not much of a talker are you?"_

Flashback:

 _"I-Ikusaba-san! So you've been here?!" I was starting to get a little worried about Mukuro, it had been almost an hour since I felt her dark aura, but now that she was back her negative aura was back as well. Her frown and her eyes told a sad story. Her face looked horrible, it looked like she had been crying for a long, long time._

 _She stayed quiet for a few moments before she even attempted to respond to my questions. "I know who did it. I know who killed your friend," those were the only words she said._

 _"What? Have you been in here this whole time? Is that why nobody could find you? But what about Yasuke, he said he checked all the rooms and he didn't say anything about seeing you? How did you…?" She shut me up by launching another sharp object at me, but it wasn't a pencil, no this time it was a pair of scissors that she threw like a dagger with speed and precision. The scissors also landed and got stuck in the bulletin board._

 _"Shut up and get out," she said calmly and coolly as she pointed at the door._

 _"But Ikusaba-san, I need to investigate for the class trial and…" she cut me off by grabbing yet another school supplies weapon, a ballpoint pen, and then rushing over to me with super speed and forcing me against the wall. She stared at me eye to eye, her cold and dead eyes reflecting widened and fearful ones. She brought her hand up to my neck and then gripped it real hard while *clicking* the pen with her other hand and raising it to my neck as well._

 _"I already told you I know who it is. Get out now while I'm still giving you the chance to breathe or else you'll know how fast you can die from an air embolism. Like I said before, I've killed so many people. Do you really think it's going to make a difference if I stain my hands one more time? Leave…now. Understand?" she asked._

Flashback:

 _"How did you do it?" Mukuro simply asked._

 _"What'cha talking about?! I'm asking you why you think that it's okay to break me twenty freaking times?!" Monokuma shouted._

 _Mukuro grabbed Monokuma by his neck with extreme speed and glared at him. "How did you do it?! How did you break Makoto's spirit?!" she shouted at Monokuma as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I could take staying here, I figured when we first arrived that we wouldn't be allowed to leave! I was fine as long as I knew that the people I cared about were safe! I was willing to go along with all of this because you're precious to me! But you promised, you promised that none of our friends would get hurt! You promised me you wouldn't lay a hand on Makoto if we went through with this game, and then you made me try to maintain my composure as you claim that he and all our friends either committed suicide or murder! Why?! Why, Onee-chan, why?!"_

 _We all stood in silence and watched as Mukuro continued to cry and grip Monokuma's neck with vice-like power. She waited in silence for Monokuma to respond to her questions. It was a few moments before he gave her one but judging by her response it was not the answer she was looking for. Monokuma let loose one of his cackling fits of laughter and then replied, "Onee-chan? Do I look like your sister to you?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side. "We're not even in the same species for crying out loud. What the fuck are you talking about freckles? Your profile said that you didn't receive a single scratch in any battle you encountered, but I guess it forgot to mention a bit of brain damage." Mukuro's eyes widened and Monokuma gave her another fit of laughter in reply. "What the hell happened? Someone clocked you good from behind or something? Maybe went through a few too many explosions? I don't really give a fuck, just keep your craziness to yourself will you? If you had any sort of feelings at all for Makoto-kun it's your own fault for not telling him sooner, but…" Monokuma laughed again, "Why the hell we would he even give someone like you the time of day? Face it girly, you're just like me. Dead on the inside, incapable of remorse or any other basic human emotion. Maybe that's why you couldn't deal with your love for him."_

'Or maybe…?' I looked up at Mukuro again. 'Mukuro Ikusaba, just who are you? I have to find out.' (Ammunition needed to absorb: **"lies"** , Contradiction to refute: " **just as in the dark as the rest of you"**.) I slammed my hands onto the banister and called out Mukuro. "No more lies!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Ikusaba-san, you've been lying from the beginning haven't you?" I asked. "You just lied to everybody even though you told me the truth earlier. Why do you insist on playing this charade?! What is your game?!" I shouted.

The courtroom was quiet after that, until Mukuro finally broke the silence. "You really want to know? It's not my game, it's hers. It's always been hers, I'm nothing more than a pawn. And like a good little pawn I was just following orders, I'm still a soldier remember? I've just traded one battle field for another. One commanding officer for another. I live to serve, that's my only place in life. I'm nothing more than a weapon to be used when my handler sees fit. Do you want to know who she is so badly, it won't make a difference anyway you know? You can't stop her. No one can stop her. She's pure evil."

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees as Mukuro poured out her soul to us.

"But none the less, from the very moment the two of us came into this world I vowed to protect her from herself, this is the only way I can help her. The only way she can get rid of her evil is to force it onto others. I'm sorry but to her your sacrifice is necessary in order to appease the darkness inside of her. I tried to hold it back for as long as possible but I'm afraid I just caused her to explode from the pressure put onto her." Mukuro stared at the hoodie she was wearing and then brought the collar up to her face and took a big inhale. "I know I should have stopped it sooner, but I thought I could save her. But in the end I didn't save anyone, she was always right. I am pathetic, I am worthless, and I am a disappointing elder sister. We're like the sun and the moon, we'll never be the same. No matter how far I tread down this path with her she'll always be ahead of me, the darkness has that much of a grasp over her." She looked up to me. "Back in Makoto's room as soon as I saw the state of everything I knew it had to have been her, I couldn't accept it. I was so angry at what she did, at what she promised me she wouldn't do. I almost flew off the handle and killed you and for this I am deeply sorry, Maita," Mukuro said sincerely.

The Ultimate Soldier took a deep breath and then she confessed, "There are two guilty parties involved in this horrible massacre, Junko Enoshima, the little sister and the brains, and Mukuro Ikusaba, the elder sister and the pawn. We are the Despair Sisters, and our purpose in life is to cause nothing but misery and despair."

"The fuck?!" Jonathan exclaimed, getting a little freaked out.

"This is getting interesting," said Izuru.

"Um, Mukuro Onee-chan? You're kind of scaring me a little," said Beigoma.

"Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista?" Micho asked. "And did you just say that you're sisters?!"

"The Despair Sisters, yes. That is what we are known as, we are the ringleaders of Ultimate Despair," Mukuro replied.

"Ultimate Despair? What's that?" I asked, getting confused at these new developments.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Ultimate Despair that wannabe terrorist group that's been causing an uproar in internet chatrooms lately?" Cam asked.

"Hey yeah, I've been hearing rumors about them in school too," Nate added. "Apparently two high school girls started it, it's like this underground gang who claims to be responsible for doing a lot of bad things lately. But they're just a bunch of talk, the things they've claimed they've done, there's no real evidence to support them. Just the other day they were blogging about how they were responsible for causing a monorail malfunction and injuring a lot of innocent bystanders. Are you saying you're one of them?" Nate asked.

"Yes, but I am just a pawn like all the others. Junko is the Mastermind behind it all," Mukuro explained.

"Wait, Mastermind? Junko Enoshima's the Mastermind?!" I exclaimed.

"The Mastermind?! The person who controls Monokuma?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Monokuma gasped and his black eye went wide with fear and surprise. "Oh no, you've figured it all out!" he exclaimed. "What do I do now?! What do I do now?!" Monokuma seemed almost frantic. "I guess I could sick my Monokuma army on all of you and have them kill you off one by one but that wouldn't be much fun at all! But I also can't let you get to me and harm me in anyway either!"

"Monokuma admits it hebi! Monokuma's really a girl hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"Oh no this is bad, this is beary bad; I can't leave any of you alive now! Nope definitely can't, too bad too, I had this nice cushy place set up for you if you win and everything! I'll have to kill the killer too, I can't leave any witnesses!" Monokuma was flat out ignoring us and going on about in his worrisome state.

"Ikusaba-san is that why you called Monokuma, "Onee-chan", earlier?!" I asked. "You were really talking to Junko Enoshima, your little sister?!"

"Yes that's correct," said Mukuro.

"Oh, this isn't happening! This isn't happening!" Monokuma said as he shook his head in disbelief. Then he had a momentary glimpse of hope. "Wait a second, it might not be all bad! You idiots still don't know where I'm hiding!"

"Is it in the video surveillance room on the fourth floor?" Izuru asked.

"…" Monokuma seemed horror-stricken again.

"I figured it would have to be since you said you were watching us with the security cameras. And that room is yet another room that I did not recognize before. Plus it was the only locked room." Izuru was playing with Monokuma while the rest of us were stricken with shock at the secret Mukuro had revealed. Izuru acted like this wasn't news to him.

"I'm so screwed!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Now that people know my true identity if there's even the tiniest chance that one of you gets out of here I'll get thrown in prison for sure. Junko Enoshima can't survive in prison, she's too hot for prison; she'll be major lez chow for sure!" he exclaimed as he cried realistic looking tears, but considering he was a robot it was probably some kind of fluid.

"How can she be your sister anyway?!" Cam asked. "You two don't even have the same last name!"

"It's sort of a long story," Mukuro simply replied.

"I knew about your feelings for Naegi-san, Ikusaba-san, so I always thought you were just confiding in Enoshima-san whenever you would sneak off with her in the middle of the day!" Chihiro exclaimed. "But you were actually planning on doing something like this?! You killed all our friends?! No…I won't believe it…it can't be true!" Tears began to steadily stream down her cheeks.

"This is unprecedented!" Jose exclaimed in amazement. "Togami-san, did you stumble upon this amazing discovery as well or have I finally beaten you in something?!"

"You're responsible?!" Sawa shouted at Mukuro. "You're responsible for all of this?!"

"…sorry…" was all Mukuro replied.

"Sorry?!" Nodaka shouted. "I ought to kill you right here and now! You murdered two of my closest friends and all you have to say is you're sorry?!"

"…" Mukuro knew whatever she said wouldn't be enough so she remained quiet after that.

Micho looked almost as pale as a ghost. "I…I…I…I need to think for a minute."

"I don't know what to think. Junko-chan seemed like such a nice girl, I knew there was something a little off about her but since I'm off too I thought we were a perfect match," said Nagito. "But to think there'd be a despair hungry monster under all of that personality. Right attitude, wrong ideal."

"I don't know what to think, all those other kids died because of some kind of terrorist group made up of other kids?" Shiro asked rhetorically. "It almost sounds too ridiculous to be true."

Beigoma just started crying and wouldn't let up.

The only other person besides Izuru who didn't seem shocked was Yasuke. I stared at him in confusion. He didn't even so much as bat an eye. It was really weird.

"Oh, I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!" Monokuma repeated over and over again. "Even though this is such concentrated despair it's still bad! Bad things are only funny when they happen to someone else!"

"Well, we know who the killer is so why don't we wrap this thing up," Yasuke suddenly said. That got our attention, we all calmed down and then looked at Monokuma.

"What do you all want now?! You want to execute me?! Is killing such a pretty girl like Junko Enoshima gonna really make you feel better?! You guys are the murderers here, not me!" Monokuma exclaimed as he pointed an accusing paw at us.

"You may as well have murdered them all you horrible little abomination, burn in the lake of fire for your transgressions!" Keiko exclaimed.

"I told you I don't kill people but for you I think I'll make an exception, even if you are a girl!" Nate shouted.

"I don't know what that last part has to do with anything but yeah, even dolphins can act tough when push comes to shove!" Aya exclaimed.

"…" Micho stayed silent before sighing. "If you and your sister turn yourselves in I'll make sure that you both get a fair trial and if you're lucky the charges might be brought down to just serving life in prison."

"Prison?! I already told you clowns I'm not going there! I am nobody's lez bitch! You guys just might as well execute me, that's the only way I'll ever be punished! If you guys want me to pay so bad then kill me, select the little icon of Junko Enoshima on the dial on your stand and then pull the lever and I'll get my just deserts and if you fill like it do the same thing to Mukuro-chan, she's a stupid elder sister anyway!"

"…" Mukuro continued to stay silent. But a single tear crept its way out of the corner of her right eye and rolled down her cheek.

"Do it! You know you want to! Do it, kill me! End Junko Enoshima's life just like the other students ended their own lives before! It's the only way I'll ever receive any punishment!" Monokuma exclaimed.

At that point I was seething with anger at the sick and twisted things that the Mastermind…no, the sick and twisted things that Junko Enoshima had done. I slowly reached for the dial that was centered in a wheel of icons of the student's faces and set the dial to Junko Enoshima's icon, as did the others. And then I reached for the lever. 'This is for you Hajime,' I thought. But before I could pull the lever I saw a glint in the corner of Monokuma's red, scar-shaped left eye. And the tiniest chuckle escaped from under his lips. The others didn't see it though. 'Am I just imagining things or does she want us to choose her?' The others were about to pull down their levers as well.

"Stop, if you do that then we lose," said Izuru. We all looked up at him and saw that he did not have his hand on his lever. When he saw that he had our attention he continued to speak. "It's a trap, he's trying to get us to execute ourselves. Junko Enoshima's not our killer, nor is she the Mastermind," he simply said, shocking us all.

"What?!" we all replied in exclamation. Even Mukuro seemed shocked.

"Wh-What?" she simply replied.

"Although Junko Enoshima may have been the Mastermind at first this game she created was both her first and last triumph, she didn't make it along with the other students which means that the true man behind the curtain is still unknown, but one thing is certain whoever now controls Monokuma managed to fill Junko Enoshima with enough despair to make even her wish to die. If she was truly as desperate for despair as Mukuro claims she was she was probably both happy and angry at the same time. A very crazy and psychotic girl indeed. A true sociopath if there ever was one, and she managed to hide it so well with that false persona of hers."

We were all literally speechless. Monokuma though, he was just mad. He grew another anger marks and his forehead began to turn bright red sweaty. "You son of a bitch, Izuru-kun! You ruined all my damn fun! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you and I hate your damn hope!" Monokuma shouted as he stood up and stamped his feet in his throne like he was a spoiled brat.

We were all confused. "Huh?!" we all replied.

"He was playing you all from the beginning, couldn't you see it? Ever since Mukuro brought up her sister he's been pretending to be her just to drive us away from the real mystery at hand. But I can assure of this, Junko Enoshima is indeed dead." Izuru reached into the pocket that he held the gloves in and then pulled out something different. It appeared to be a pair of odd-looking hair bands. They were shaped like bears, one was a white bear with a smiling face and then the other was a black bear with a wicked grin and demon like red eyes. They both seemed very familiar. Mukuro instantly gasped at the sight of the hair bands.

"Junko Onee-chan!" she exclaimed as she cupped her hands over her mouth.

"They're soaked in blood from being where I found them for so long, I've been holding onto several bloody objects all day but those things were a challenge even for me. And they smell atrocious, but I brought them here for the sake of solving this little problem. Since Junko Enoshima is actually the head of Ultimate Despair and her Fashionista title is just for show it would make since that the killer would try to use her as the fall girl, but oddly enough I found no red herrings in my investigation that pointed back to Enoshima-chan. But just in case I brought those along, proof that the Ultimate Despair, the leader of a violent and dark terrorist organization in the making is truly dead," Izuru explained. "If I hadn't stopped you all from voting for her as the killer when I did we'd all be the same way right now. So yay me for thinking ahead."

"Phew, you really saved our asses back there. If it weren't for you we'd be goners for sure. Nice looking out dude!" Nate exclaimed as he flashed Izuru a thumb's up.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I mean really hate it with a passion, I must thank you so thanks," said Nodaka. "There I said it now shut up about it."

"Thank you for saving our lives," said Micho.

"Yeah, thanks Izuru-kun. I know I said I was ready to die before but I'd rather do it after we find out what happened to everyone else," said Nagito.

One by one we all thanked Izuru for saving our lives and then finally it was my turn. "Thanks Kamukura-kun," I said.

"Don't mention it," Izuru replied.

Monokuma sighed in exasperation. "Ugh, stop being so happy to be alive already! You're just rubbing salt into my wounds of defeat! Shut the hell up and get back to the debate or else I really will put a time limit on you guys!"

"I suggest we continue," said Connie.

"But what do we discuss next, do you have any more clues Kamukura-san?" Chihiro asked.

"Unfortunately I'm afraid I'm fresh out, these hair bands were the last things I swiped," Izuru replied.

"Where did you find those anyway?" Micho asked.

"I pulled them out of what was left of Junko Enoshima's hair," Izuru simply said, shocking us all.

"D-Don't tell me you… y-you…y-you actually went into that room?!" Jonathan screamed.

"Ah, bad thoughts hebi! Bad thoughts hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"Akasaka-sempai your assistance is required ag…" Aya tried to say before she fainted and Keiko caught her again.

"You…you went into the final destination room's back room, Kamukura-kun?" I asked.

"It was real overblown, all the corpses had decomposed so severely in that backroom that there was no way to tell who was who. I just figured that the corpse I found was Junko Enoshima's because she had what was left of a scalp of blond hair and those hairbands. Her corpse was beyond bloody though, so many slash marks, was she by any chance one of those people who cut themselves for pleasure?" Izuru asked Mukuro.

"…" Mukuro stood as still as a statue, I couldn't blame her though. She was so adamant that her sister was responsible for all of this and now she had found out that her sister was really dead. But it made sense, the way Monokuma spoke to Mukuro when she thought Junko was controlling him. There was no way a girl could ever talk to her sister like that, like she was utter scum.

Izuru placed the hair bands in Mukuro's unmoving hands. "Here, you probably need them more than I do. If you're going to keep them I'd wash them real good first though."

Mukuro still didn't say anything but she looked down at the hairbands and held them close to her chest as tears began to roll down her eyes.

"Okay, now then does anyone else want to contribute to the debate?" Izuru asked.

Sawa raised her hand. "Um, yeah all this talk about bloody objects has got me thinking. I think I might know who the killer is."

"A surprising development. The trial is handed from the devil boy to angel face," Nodaka said with a snicker.

Sawa blushed, "Thanks?" she said uneasily. "Um, now then here's what I found while investigating…"

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"I checked mainly the first four floors for clues and the only time I ever even stepped foot on the fifth floor was to view the crime scene…once," said Sawa.

Shiro exhaled. "Nice to know that I'm not the only person who was afraid to go there," Shiro said.

"But she still saw it," Nodaka replied, bursting Shiro's bubble.

"Anyway, the main places I checked were all the classrooms but I did manage to look into one particular place because I know for a fact that one of the suspects **frequents there a lot** ," Sawa explained.

"And what was this place?" Nagito asked.

"The swimming pool," Sawa replied, "That was Asahina-sempai's most favorite place to go to in school, every time she wasn't in class **you could always find her in there**. She was really nice and kind and I always felt like I could confide in her."

"Oh so you knew **Aoi Asahina** , the Ultimate Swimming Pro?" Micho asked.

Sawa nodded. "She was my sempai on the track team though, I can't stand swimming pools but Asahina-sempai loves them. We were sort of like polar opposites but for some reason we really hit it off."

"Well if she liked to go barefoot and spread germs too then I think I can understand," Jonathan remarked.

"Bite me," Sawa replied.

"Ooh, snap!" Soshun exclaimed.

"So what did you find there anyway Nanase-chan?" Micho asked.

"Well, it's kind of creepy," Sawa replied.

"That's too vague, everything in this messed up version of our school is creepy," said Soshun.

"Yes but well…you see the thing I found was..." Sawa looked at me. Then she frowned and said "Never mind, I **didn't find anything**."

"Jeez, don't jerk us around like that. This is serious business," Jonathan replied.

"I'll kiss you if you don't shut up, and give you all my germs," Sawa said with a smirk.

Jonathan screamed, "Stay away from me you barefoot idiot."

I contemplated what Sawa had said. 'She didn't find anything at the pool? That's not right, she showed me herself what she found.' (Ammunition needed: **Bloody swimsuit** , Contradiction to refute: **"didn't find anything"**.) I slammed my hands down on the banister to get everyone's attention. "No, that's wrong!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"But Nanase-san, don't you remember? You found it and showed it to me? The bloody swimsuit?" I asked.

"…" Sawa didn't respond.

"Nanase-san?" I repeated, trying to get her attention.

"Hang on, what's all this about a bloody swimsuit?" Jonathan asked.

"At the swimming pool, Nanase-san found a school swimsuit covered in fresh blood in the pool supply closet. And the swimsuit said that it belonged to Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro herself," I explained.

"But it could just be a coincidence, it doesn't mean she's our killer," Sawa said suddenly.

"Nanase-san?" I gave her a questioning look.

"Let me get this straight, you find something that's covered in blood and you don't think that you should tell the rest of us when we're trying to find a killer?" Yasuke asked. "Are you freaking stupid, these are our lives we're talking about here, we can't just throw them away on doubt?!"

"I'm not doubting anything it's just that I think there could be another explanation as to why that swimsuit ended up the way it did," said Sawa.

"Yeah and the answer is that Aoi Asahina killed Hajime Hinata in her swimsuit thinking that it would be easier to get the blood out of the swimsuit than it would be to get them out of normal clothes," Jose explained. "It's a fairly solid plan but you're still going to need a lot of bleach to do it, it looks like she didn't have enough time to clean up."

"Well then it sounds like we have our killer," said Nodaka.

"Finally, I can't take this insanity any longer!" Keiko exclaimed.

Sawa tried to get a word in. "Wait but…!"

"Ah, sweet relief," said Cam. "That's a load off my shoulders."

"Um guys…?" Sawa was still ignored. And then. *Bang* She slammed her hands on the banister so hard that I thought she might actually crush it. "I said wait a damn minute! What, do you have crap in your ears or something?! I still want to discuss this!" she shouted, scaring us all. Even Izuru and Nodaka seemed to be a little unnerved by her.

She smiled and turned back into her gentle self. "Now then, so far we've thought that Celestia Ludenberg was the killer as well as Junko Enoshima and through more discussion we've revealed that they were innocent. I want to rule out Asahina-sempai as well."

"What, but there's no doubt she's guilty, right?" Jonathan replied.

"No, I refuse to believe that Asahina-sempai could ever take a life! There's something else going on here and I want to figure out what it is!" Sawa exclaimed.

"Great just what we need, another stubborn girl," Nate replied.

"I want to hear her out," said Yasuke unexpectedly.

"What but Aoi is obviously guilty, why do you want to try and disprove something that can't be disproved?" Jonathan asked.

"I agree, all this badgering around may be amusing but it's time that we solved this thing," said Jose.

"Well I agree with Matsuda-kun," said Izuru. "You all seem to be forgetting that the killer loves framing people."

"I want to hear everything there is about this too, we can't just throw in the towel when we're tired, like Matsuda-kun said these are our lives we're talking about here," said Micho.

"I'm in too, I want to hear what Nanase-san has to say," I said.

"Ugh, fine struggle all you want but it's meaningless. I've already identified the killer," said Jose.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"So what else can you tell us about Asahina-chan, Nanase-chan?" Micho asked.

"She was very supportive and helpful to me and all her other kohai, it just **doesn't fit her personality** to ever even think about hurting someone," Sawa replied.

"That's what Maita-san said about his precious Hinata-san and look what we found out," said Jose. "Hinata-san was **planning to kill his killer** just like **his killer was planning to kill him**. And they've already both proven that they're not above framing people, just ask **Kyoko** **Kirigiri** , **Celestia Ludenberg, and Junko Enoshima** and they'll all tell you the same thing. Oh right they're dead, so I guess all we have is evidence to go off of. **Evidence doesn't lie** ," Jose implored.

"But you have to admit it is kind of strange about **where the swimsuit was found** , isn't it?" Micho asked.

"What's so strange about it, it's a swimsuit, doesn't it belong at the swimming pool?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, but would it really be a good place to hide evidence as damming as that? I mean with how public the location is it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled across it, right?" I asked.

"Come to think of it that is strange, wouldn't it be kind of be better to hide it in a place where you could wash it first? Like **the laundry room** for instant?" Soshun asked.

"Well yeah but maybe the killer figured that they could also **wash the blood off** in the pool?" Keiko guessed as she was busy fanning off Aya, who was still unconscious from her faint. "Water is water, right?"

"Yeah, but if you tried to wash the blood off in the pool wouldn't the blood just swirl around in the pool?" Yasuke replied.

"Not if the filtration system is turned on, face the facts that was the killer's goal all along. It's just that with planting all those red herrings they didn't have time to remove the damming evidence to themselves," Jose explained smugly.

'What to do? Jose has almost everyone completely convinced that Aoi is the killer. Could he be right? No, if she was the killer that doesn't explain certain things. Something about the placement of the evidence, come to think of it a lot of evidence has ended up like that, hasn't it?' (Ammunition needed: **The killer's red herrings** , Contradiction to refute: **"Evidence doesn't lie"**.) "This says otherwise!" I exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Wait, aren't you forgetting about the red herrings the killer planted?" I asked. "Back at the crime scene two things were found, a bloody handkerchief that belonged to Celestia Ludenberg and a single glove which belonged to Kyoko Kirigiri. The killer moved the murder weapon, which we've identified as Ikusaba-san's survival knife that she gave to her little sister Junko Enoshima, as well as Kyoko Kirigiri's other glove to the biology lab, a place where Kamukura-kun thought to check immediately because according to you guys **the main school building doesn't have a biology lab**. By careful placement of the incriminating evidence in locations that any sane person would think to look in, the killer drove our attention to three innocent people already, Kyoko Kirigiri, Junko Enoshima, and Celestia Ludenberg. And I don't think Aoi Asahina is an exception either."

"You're saying you think the bloody swimsuit is yet another red herring," Izuru asked.

"It makes sense doesn't it?" I replied. "Why leave behind incriminating evidence in a location that you know someone is going to check eventually…?"

"Unless you want it to be found," said Micho, finishing my thought. "He's right, thinking about it that way the bloody swimsuit makes the perfect red herring."

Sawa giggled in delight. "See, I told you Asahina-sempai couldn't be the killer. I told you."

"That doesn't prove anything," Jose simply replied.

"Eh?" I replied.

"In case you haven't noticed we've already come across several bloody objects that connect other people to the crime but all that evidence has been disputed because of other facts disproving their claims," Jose explained. "For instance, we've determined that the gloves were used by Hinata-san at first as an intentional red herring which were then used by the killer as well to plant a red herring shifting our focus to Kyoko Kirigiri, and the only reason we proved that Kirigiri-san couldn't be the killer is because Hinata-san was the one who first brought the gloves there. And Celestia Ludenberg's ring was disproved as a plausible murder weapon because it didn't meet the specific measurements of the murder weapon as specified in the Monokuma File. And we've also proved that Junko Enoshima, the current owner of said knife was already dead due to evidence given to us by Kamukura-san, Junko's hairbands which he removed from her corpse. All the red herrings have been solved because of extra evidence discrediting their claims. But tell me, did any of find one shred of evidence that eliminates Aoi Asahina as a suspect?" Jose asked the rest of us.

We remained silent.

"Just as I thought, that is proof enough that Aoi Asahina is indeed our killer. I rest my case," said Jose.

We were all shocked beyond words at Jose's analysis. "Who are you and what have done with my shy little pal?" Cam asked flabbergasted.

"Um, is that the same kid from a little while ago?" Nodaka asked. "What the hell happened to him?" It looked like the others had finally noticed Jose's bizarre personality change.

"I…I still don't want to believe it but…" said Sawa, "If there is no evidence to prove otherwise I guess we have no choice but to accept it. I concede," she said with a dour expression.

"Very well then. Case closed," Jose said triumphantly.

'Is this really the end?' I asked myself. 'Aoi Asahina is Hajime's killer? Is that really true?' I stared at Sawa's depression and frowned. 'No, there's something else going on here and I need to prove it, for Sawa's sake.' "Hold up!" I exclaimed. "Can we go over everything that we discussed in our last debate one more time? I think we've missed something."

"Missed something? What else is there Aki?" Jonathan asked.

"Just admit defeat already," said Jose. "I'm smarter than you."

"But, it's just that Nanase-san truly believes Asahina-san is innocent so I think we owe it to her to make absolutely certain that her friend is guilty before we do anything else," I replied.

The courtroom fell silent as questioning stares were passed all around. Sawa smiled at me and said "thank you" with her eyes. "Well I guess it couldn't hurt, right?" Yasuke asked.

"Yeah, I'm a defense attorney after all, if an innocent person gets accused it's my job to save them and prove the truth. Let's give it another try," said Micho.

Jose sighed. "Fine, but I'm telling you it's a waste of time."

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

I started us off this time. "Okay, we know that the killer planted red herrings incriminating **Kyoko Kirigiri** , **Junko Enoshima** , and **Celestia Ludenberg** so far."

"There's no need for so far," said Jose. "Those three were the only ones **the killer tried to incriminate**."

"Are we absolutely sure though?" Micho backed me up.

"There's no room for doubt, right?" Jonathan did his best to back up Jose.

"If the killer **had access to other items** I think we would have found them by now, wouldn't we?" Keiko asked.

"I guess, all I found in my investigation was a bunch of personal information about the students, **nothing with blood on it** ," said Yasuke.

"And if any of those belongings were red herrings they would have been tied to the crime scene somehow by either being there or **having fresh blood on them**. **Nothing** **else** was found belonging to another suspect, correct? Therefore there are no more red herrings. Like I said before, case closed. Aoi Asahina is our killer," said Jose.

"No matter what the outcome, Asahina-sempai will always be innocent to me. Thank you for trying though Maita-kun," said Sawa.

'It's not just her that think Aoi is innocent, I'm starting to think it too I just have to prove that it's true. And to start off I need to convince the others of the possibility of other red herrings. Wait a second, don't I have one?' (Ammunition needed: **Gundam's Hell Hound earring** , Contradiction to refute: **"Nothing else"**.) "Oh yeah, well what do you say about this?!" I exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Actually Historia-kun, I believe I did find another red herring while investigating and it just so happens that Murasame-kun, Auruka-san, and Hoshi-san can vouch for me," I said.

"We can?" Soshun replied.

"Eh?" Micho replied.

"What are you talking about cockroach boy?" Nodaka replied.

I pulled Gundam's earring out of my pocket and presented to the others. "Remember this?"

"Oh yeah, Gundam Tanka's earring," said Soshun. He chuckled and said, "To tell you the truth I completely forgot about that."

"I thought that he might have just been one of the victims of the classroom massacre so I ignored it, but now that I think about it the earring might've just been a red herring as well," said Micho. "Good thinking, Maita-kun!"

"I have to admit, nice work," said Nodaka.

"Um, please don't leave the rest of us in the dark," said Beigoma. "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence – Christopher Hitchens. I don't want to rain on your parade but we need to know what the evidence is too."

"Just something that will finally shut journal boy's trap," said Nodaka. She swiped Gundam's earring from me and held it up for all to see. "Behold yet another red herring, the earring of the Ultimate Animal Breeder, Gundam Tanaka!" she exclaimed.

"Well I'll be dammed, there was another one!" Jonathan exclaimed in surprise.

Jose scowled at us but he remained composed none the less. "Hmm, I see then. And if I may ask where did you find that earring?" he asked.

"That's easy, it was at the…" I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Crime scene."

"May I see that, please?" Izuru asked.

"Um, sure I guess?" I replied uneasily. And then I passed the earring along the ring until finally it ended up with Izuru, who inspected it and examined each and every detail of it very closely.

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, and I always do, according to his profile Tanaka-kun received this earring as a thank you present from a lost tribe out in some far off country for dealing with a wild dog problem they were having. He managed to do what no other person could do and tame the beast like it was a little puppy. He would always keep this with him to remind himself of what he could accomplish when he set his mind to it," Izuru explained.

"Seriously?" Jonathan asked. "It just looks like yet another piece of costume jewelry."

"That could also be the case considering Tanaka-kun filled out that part of his profile himself and like Yasuhiro-chan he also suffered from chuunibyou. He thought he was half-demon and referred to himself as the supreme Overlord of Ice," Izuru replied.

"I didn't realize we had so many chuunibyou students here," said Micho.

"You probably wouldn't notice them that much, people tend to avoid people who wear weird outfits and say that they have dark powers," said Jose. "But even if that was just another red herring planted by the culprit it's missing one thing that all the other red herrings we've found so far have in common. Anyone care to guess what that might be?"

I thought about it for a second and asked my other self the same question before replying, "You mean **blood** , right?"

"Exactly, take a look. Not a speck of blood on the earring which means it moat likely didn't have anything to do with the murder. It might've just come off in some other event. Therefore I object to calling the earring a red herring, there's not enough evidence to prove that is one. Therefore, as previously stated Aoi Asahina is our killer," Jose explained.

"Even though you're acting weird I can't really argue with the logic, I guess I'm on your side Jose," said Cam.

Jonathan sighed, "See Aki I told you it was just a waste of time."

"What are we waiting for then, we're all in agreement right?" Keiko asked. "Aoi Asahina is the killer, all that's left to do is vote."

Micho seemed to be on the fence. "Too bad, I thought there was something there too. But I guess when you look at it from that perspective it doesn't mean anything. A good defense attorney knows when to admit they're beaten."

"Hold on just a second counselor," said Izuru.

"Eh?" Micho replied.

"I'd like to know from you and from our judge if it is okay for to perform a little experiment," Izuru replied.

"An experiment, Kokushibyou-kun hebi?" Azami replied in a confused tone.

"Yes, an experiment to determine the nature of this evidence. If it is indeed another red herring or just a meaningless clue, do I have your permission counselor? Asahina-chan is another one of your defendants is she not?" Izuru asked.

"Um I guess it's okay, what kind of experiment do you want to preform anyway?" Micho asked.

"Judge Monokuma what's your ruling?" Izuru asked, ignoring Micho's question.

"Anything to make the class trial more exciting, what do you have in mind?" Monokuma asked.

"For this endeavor I shall require an assistant, Komaeda-kun are you ready to prove your worth?" Izuru asked Nagito.

"Ready and willing," Nagito replied and then he reached into his coat's pocket and produced a small spray bottle which he handed to Izuru with glee. "I'm glad I could be of service, any job is worthy for trash like me."

"Even when he's mysterious he still belittles himself. It's getting freaking annoying," Nate replied.

Izuru held the spray bottle up for us all to see. "While investigating I headed to the chemistry lab to gather some supplies for this very moment because form the very beginning quite a few things did not sit right with me, Komaeda-kun met me there later and I explained to him my ideas. He agreed to help me in any way he could because like me he wishes to know the truth of everything. This truth of this mystery is hidden so deeply that's it like we're searching for answers at the bottom of the sea, but with this bottle right here I will finally illuminate the path to the truth of the events that conspired here at Hope's Peak Academy. I present to you the nifty little chemical C8H7N3O2 better known as luminol."

"Lumi-what?" Cam replied in a confused tone.

"Where did you get that?! I'm sure we didn't have anything like that in the chemistry lab!" Micho exclaimed.

"I made it myself," Izuru replied, it was a pretty simple process to follow. It's fully functional too, with this we can put to bed several theories involving all the objects we've come across."

"Luminol?" I repeated the word to myself. "I feel like I've heard the word before. What is it exactly?"

"Ever heard of forensic science?" Jose asked. "It's a fairly common tool used for detecting biological agents not limited to blood, urine, and fecal matter."

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff they use to identify blood on TV when a crime scene's been cleaned up," Nate explained.

"Clean up?" Jonathan repeated. "Wait now we're assuming that someone **tried to destroy evidence**? I thought we were discussing **planted evidence, the red herrings**?"

"Think about it, whoever the killer is they went through a great deal of effort to plant those red herrings, who's to say that while they were planting evidence they also weren't destroying evidence at the same time?" Izuru replied. "We don't know which clues are real and which clues are fake, which were left behind by the killer, which were left behind by Hinata-kun, or which were left behind by Monokuma himself."

"Ooh, finally we're getting somewhere!" Monokuma exclaimed. "I was wondering when you kids would bring up that topic. Let me say this once more, I have indeed planted some fake evidence but not all of it. Most of the red herrings were left behind by the killer. They're really clever. It's like instead of just having one brain, the killer has several meshing together like gears in a large clock. All those ideas and tricks, oh boy they're going after my own heart for sure! I'm not going to tell you about any of the tricks but I'm not gonna deny their existence either, thanks to Izuru-kun you guys have a way to figure out the tactics used by the killer so why don't we all play a little game. Figure out a trick and I'll tell you who planted it, me, Hajime-kun, or the killer."

"What's the catch?" Yasuke asked.

"No catches, just thought I'd give you a helping paw. But it might cost you later up the road, just be prepared that's all," Monokuma replied.

Just then Aya began to stir again. She yawned loudly and then rubbed her eyes. "What did I miss?" she asked innocently.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Aya," replied Nate. "We were just about to begin a scientific investigation spearheaded by Izuru, do you think you can stick it out till the end?"

"Yeah I guess, sorry about fainting so much. I'm just not that good around blood, I can't even watch slasher horror movies without being scared out of my mind," Aya replied. "So what's the topic now?"

"We're going to determine the state of all the possible red herrings we've found by using a chemical Mr. Izuru Kamukura has which can reveal the presence of…ahem, blood," Keiko coughed out, trying to make sure that Aya didn't faint again.

"Come again?" Aya replied.

"Let's get started shall we," said Izuru, cutting off Aya.

'Alright this is the chance I need,' I thought to myself. 'If Aoi is innocent then I need to prove it somehow and hopefully Izuru can help me do that.'

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"Alright, which item should we test first?" Micho asked.

"How about the item that **was found first** to begin with," Izuru replied.

"What was that again? I feel like this whole thing's been dragged out to no end," cam replied.

"It was **the gloves** , right? Kirigiri-san's gloves?" Chihiro guessed.

"Close, but not it," Izuru replied. "Anyone else care to venture a guess?"

"Enough jerking us around you know what it is, just pull it out already!" Nodaka exclaimed.

"This experiment won't help us unless we're all on the same page, now think. What was the first item that was brought up concerning the murder?" Izuru replied.

" **The note** that Aki-chan found concerning the meeting?" Shiro guessed.

"Celestia Ludenberg's…"Aya paused and then shivered, " **Bloody ring**?"

"All this talk about blood is getting me lightheaded again," said Aya.

"Wasn't it **the handkerchief** in the waste basket hebi?" Azami guessed.

"No you morons!" Nodaka exclaimed. "The first thing we discussed was **what Kamukura found in Hinata's abdomen!** "

"Wait, why are you being cryptic now?" Micho asked.

"It's part of the game," Monokuma replied.

"Again, what game?" Soshun asked.

'The thing found in Hajime's abdomen? That's easy enough, Nodaka's talking about…' I thought to myself. (Ammunition needed: **Mukuro's survival knife** , Contradiction to refute: **"what Kamukura found in Hinata's abdomen!"** ) I slammed my hands on the banister again and then exclaimed, "The answer is obvious!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"You mean Ikusaba-san's knife, right Hoshi-san?" I asked Nodaka.

"That's right cockroach boy, in the beginning there was a huge uproar over whether or not the knife was the murder weapon. I think we should put that matter to rest once and for all before we start asking any new questions," Nodaka replied. Then she looked to Keiko. "Hey southern sun-kissed girl?!"

"Beg your pardon?" Keiko replied.

"Do you still have that whack job Taeko Yasuhiro's ring that you were so proud of before?" Nodaka asked.

Keiko frowned and then retrieved the blood-stained piece of metal jewelry from her jacket pocket. "Yes indeed, but I thought my claims were already proven wrong by the Monokuma File, were they not?"

"Yeah I remember, Taeko's ring couldn't have been the murder weapon because it's **not the right size** as specified in the Monokuma File," Nate explained. "Why do you want to test the ring as well?"

"Because even though we've established that the ring is not the murder weapon we still haven't answered the question as to how the blood appeared on it. Don't you think that's a big gap to just leave unchecked? Pretty sloppy investigation work if I do say so myself," Nodaka said snidely.

Shiro scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Um, one more time?" he replied.

"She guessed my plan perfectly," Izuru replied. "That was what I wanted to do with the luminol the whole time you see, with it we can test all these "supposedly" bloody objects and conclude once and for all what's real and what's fake. Bravo, young maid for catching on so quickly," Izuru complemented Nodaka's analysis of the problem at hand. "Maybe you do have some of that grace you claim after all."

"Watch it," Nodaka warned Izuru as she cracked her knuckles.

"I'll take the ring then," Izuru said as he motioned for Keiko to hand him the ring. Keiko passed the ring around the ring we made, skipping over Aya who backed away from her stand out of fear of coming in contact with the bloody object, until it eventually came to Izuru.

"Wait, one second," said Soshun. "Kamukura, you just said that the luminol will help us test the "supposedly" bloody objects, right? What's up with that?" he asked.

"Perhaps, Kokushibyou-kun misspoke hebi?" Azami suggested.

Nagito shook his head. "No, no, no, don't you guys get it already? There's the possibility that the blood itself is just a red herring."

"Say that again?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"What?!" Micho exclaimed in surprise.

"The blood's a red herring, who, what, when where, how dude?!" Nate exclaimed

"H-How can that be possible?" I asked, just as surprised as the others.

"Think about it, over the course of this investigation we have come across a lot of bloody objects that tie back to one suspect after another. But we are all neglecting to ask an important question, why are all those objects covered I blood in the first place?" Nagito asked.

"Because they're red herrings left behind by the killer, I thought we already established that," Soshun replied.

"Exactly, and because they're red herrings that means their very nature is contradictory. We can't assume that anything about them is true," Nagito replied.

"I still don't get it, does that mean we can't assume that the red herrings belong to our other suspects?" Aya asked as she scratched her head.

"No you're not thinking broad enough, we've just been focusing on the objects themselves, but maybe we should focus on other things as well. Do you catch my drift?" Nagito asked.

"You mean like the blood on them?" Nate asked.

"Yes, that and one other aspect that we've been completely overlooking," Izuru replied.

'One other aspect about the red herrings?' I asked myself. 'Wait, thinking back about where we found everything. That's it!' I knew what we had to do. "We have to focus on where the red herrings themselves were found. That's the key to determining the authenticity of them, right?"

"Another daring statement issued by Maita-kun!" Izuru exclaimed. "Yes, if we think about the locations encountered by the objects and the blood found on them we should be able to determine once and for all what's real and what's been faked. Now let's begin." Izuru held the ring in his palm and then carefully sprayed the luminol on the surface. "Now it will only show clearly under dim lighting so Monokuma if you would be so kind?"

"Gotcha covered," Monokuma replied and the clapped his paws together, making the torches in the courtroom dim until the room was blanketed with light darkness.

"Okay then, even if Yasuhiro-chan's ring isn't the murder weapon, since it has Hinata-kun's blood on it the luminol should react to the DNA and the ring should begin to illuminate blue. Just give it a few seconds," Izuru explained. We waited a few seconds, which soon turned into a full minute. The ring never turned blue.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Izu, you better not just be yanking us around when our lives are on the line! Why the hell hasn't the ring turned blue yet?!"

"Interesting, wouldn't you say? Perhaps I mixed the chemicals wrong?" Izuru asked himself.

"Dammit, you really are just making fools out of us, aren't you?!" Yasuke exclaimed in anger.

"Now hold on, let's test something else just to be sure, if nothing happens again then we'll know that I slipped up for sure." Izuru swapped out the ring for Mukuro's survival knife and one again sprayed the object with the bottle of luminol. Once again the room fell silent, but this time it was only for a few seconds before…

"Wh-What the hell?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"It happened!" Micho exclaimed.

"Seriously?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

We were all in shock as the entire surface of the knife shone a neon-like blue. "Very interesting indeed," Izuru simply said as he held the glowing knife up to his face. The blue glow illuminated his features greatly. And it also highlighted his wide smile and excited expression.

'What does this mean?' I asked myself. 'The luminol works clearly, but the blood on the ring didn't illuminate. How could that be possible?' Then a wicked thought crept its way into my mind. 'Unless, the blood on the ring isn't blood at all.'

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BLOOD TEST

"So does this mean le luminol does work?" Connie asked in confusion.

"I…I really don't know," Micho replied. "Both objects have blood on them but only one of them fluoresced. Could it just be a coincidence?"

"Of course it's a coincidence, the chemical Kamukura-san provided must be defective," Jose asserted.

"But that wouldn't explain why the knife fluoresced when the ring didn't," Yasuke replied. "There's got to be some kind of explanation for that phenomenon to occur."

"Maybe the blood on the ring is **too old to test for DNA** ," Nate replied.

"No when it comes to forensics tests, luminol can detect even the slightest traces of blood unless the blood sample has been contaminated in some way," Izuru explained.

"So the blood on the ring was contaminated?" Soshun asked. "By what?"

"It could be any number of things, other chemical agents for example." Izuru held the ring up in his hand and examined it very closely. "Wait a second, Monokuma can you get the lights?" Izuru asked.

"You got it." Monokuma clapped his paws again and the torches' flames grew brighter once more.

"What is it Kokushibyou-kun?" Azami asked.

Izuru scratched the surface of the ring with one of his fingernails and then smirked in a crazy way. "You're never going to believe this, both of the supposed theories are correct."

"What are you talking about? Speak clearly!" Jonathan replied.

"There's two different pigments coating the ring, one is bright pink and the other is a dark red," Izuru replied.

"Wait two pigments? What does that even mean?" Nodaka asked.

"Think of them as new and old, and then figure it out for yourselves," Izuru replied

"Why you little worm!" Nodaka shouted.

'Izuru is onto something big and he wants us to be able to keep up on our own. He's never going to share with us what he knows if somebody doesn't impress him. Let's see, new and old? Two different pigments?' I stroked my chin as I thought things over and then and idea struck me like lightning. 'Wait, could that be it?!' I inwardly exclaimed.

"Maita-kun, you look like you might be on to something. Care to elaborate?" Izuru asked.

'There's only one thing I can think of,' I thought to myself. Then I asked out loud, "There's two different samples of blood on there, right?"

Izuru smirked. "I'll admit that there appears to be old blood under the fresh blood but adding new blood to a surface that's already bloody doesn't destroy DNA, that just give you two different DNA profiles," Izuru explained. "We have to figure out just why the ring doesn't fluoresce, that's the key to solving the mystery of it and the other red herrings. I'm sure of it."

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"There appears to be old blood **under** the **freshly applied blood** ," Izuru surmised. "The question we have to answer is why neither blood samples fluoresced."

"How are we supposed to do that? I suck at chemistry dude," Nate replied.

"What was it you said before Izu, about **contaminating the blood**?" Jonathan asked.

"If the blood is contaminated that could explain why it didn't fluoresce, but first we have to figure out what contaminated it," Izuru explained.

Something contaminated both blood samples?" Micho asked. "Could it have been **something in Hinata-kun's blood**?"

"It had to have been, it's very doubtful that **the original blood contaminated the fresh blood** ," Jose replied.

"Ugh, all this talk about blood is making me light-headed again," said Aya.

"Maybe Hajime-kun had some kind of disease?" Nagito guessed. "If so, we're even more of a perfect match than I thought before."

"Keep it to yourself please," Soshun replied.

"Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong and the blood on the ring isn't even blood," said Shiro. "Maybe it's **something else**."

"Don't be ridiculous," Nodaka replied. "Say something stupid again and I'll clobber you, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Shiro replied in a timid tone.

'The blood was contaminated by something?' I asked myself. 'What could cause that? Wait maybe it's not as simple as that, what was I thinking about before?' My eyes widened. 'That's it!' (Ammunition needed to absorb: **"something else"** , Contradiction to refute: **"freshly applied blood"** ) "I have the answer!" I exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"What if, the fresh blood on the ring isn't blood at all?" I asked. "What if it's something else entirely, something that could contaminate the real blood underneath?"

"That… no way! Could that actually be true?!" Micho asked in surprise.

"That would make sense," Nagito replied. "Come to think of it, it's the only way it could make sense."

"But if it's not blood then what is it?" Jonathan asked.

"I think I might know," Yasuke replied. "Maita and Junmaru should know too, the three of us came across it while we were investigating after all, remember?"

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked. "I don't remember anything like that."

'We came across it before? Wait is Yasuke talking about "that"?' I asked myself. Then I thought back to the art room. 'That's it!' I replied aloud, "You're talking about the paint in the art room, right?"

"Paint?" Jonathan replied and then insight struck him like a brick. "Oh yeah! The blood-colored paint that took me forever to scrub up off the floor!"

"Blood-colored paint?" Aya asked. "Is everything we talk about going to involve blood?" she replied squeamishly.

"Hang on, you boys found this before you met up with me and Mademoiselle Daffodil, no?" Connie asked.

"Yeah, that's right Takemi-san," I replied.

"But what made you think to look for clues in the art room of all places?" Keiko asked.

"We were following a certain string of clues provided to us by Monokuma," Yasuke explained.

"Yeah, we were on the…" (Ammunition needed: **Death scavenger hunt** ) "Death scavenger hunt," I added.

"Death scavenger hunt?" Soshun replied in a freaked out tone.

"Yeah, we were following clues leading to the places where several of the students died," Beigoma explained. "Monokuma appeared to each of us during our investigations and told us about a special hint, remember? Well Yasuke-kun, Jonathan-kun, and Akira Onii-chan followed up on this and then shortly after Connie-chan, Fujisaki-chan, and I joined them."

"Oh so that's what that whole thing in the AV room was about?" Cam replied. Then he pulled out Mahiru's camera. "Is that why you wanted me to fix this too? I saw the label, this belonged to Mahiru Koizumi, right?"

"Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer?" Micho asked.

"Yet another suspect. Another red herring or is the photography chick our killer?" Nodaka asked.

"Well I did find the camera in the art room but there's something you guys should know about Mahi and a few others," said Jonathan.

"Hang on a second!" Jose exclaimed suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "I feel like we're getting off topic here, remember we were debating Aoi Asahina as our killer. I still haven't heard as to why I shouldn't believe that she's our killer, anyone care to rebuttal when the evidence is clear as day on her swimsuit?"

"Ugh, again with this?" Sawa replied. "Why can't you just leave my sempai alone, I'm telling you there's no way she would ever do such a thing!"

"And I'm telling you that I'm not ready to move on until we decide on the fate of Aoi Asahina once and for all. If you think she's innocent then prove it with what we've discovered so far."

'Jose sure is stubborn, everyone in here except for him believes that Aoi is innocent now,' I thought to myself. 'But it looks like if we ever want to find out who the real killer is we're going to have to settle this once and for all.'

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"Why can't you just admit you're wrong already?!" Sawa exclaimed. "Asahina-sempai is not a murderer!"

"The swimsuit was **covered in blood** , there should honestly be no question of her guilt," Jose replied. "You're just letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement, like it or not she's guilty until proven otherwise."

"The phrase is innocent until proven otherwise, you asshole!" Micho exclaimed. "Stop perverting the justice system, it's almost like you're enjoying this!"

"I am, I'm taking a page from Kamukura-san's book. I'm the detective of this story and I say that **Aoi Asahina is the killer!** Case closed!" Jose exclaimed.

"Snap out of it dude, I think you're catching Kumkura's craziness!" Cam exclaimed to Jose.

"Is this seriously the same guy? He's just a historian, right?" Nate asked a little unnerved.

"He's definitely different, that's for sure," said Shiro. "I sense a dark presence coming from him."

"I've never felt better, I'm thinking so clearly, it's like I've found my true calling. Mysteries, mysteries, I love mysteries!" Jose exclaimed.

"Nice to see someone who shares my optimism," Izuru replied.

"Great just what we needed another freak," said Jonathan.

"Say what you want but you know it to be true, that blood on the swimsuit is **definitive**. Nothing says otherwise. Aoi Asahina is guilty so let's execute her and get it over with already," said Jose.

'Jose claims that the blood on the swimsuit proves that Aoi is guilty, but is that really true?' (Ammunition needed: **Blood test** , Contradiction to refute: **"definitive"**.) I slammed my hands down on the banister again and exclaimed, "Oh yeah, well what do you say to this?!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Actually Historia-kun, I think you're forgetting the results of the blood test we just performed," I said.

"Care to elaborate?" Jose replied. He seemed to be perfectly calm against my rebuttal, it was almost like he was expecting me to fight him on this.

"We just determined that the fresh blood on Taeko Yasuhiro's ring might actually be paint, everyone here agrees that it could be possible right?" I asked everyone.

"That's the only logical explanation," Izuru replied. "If it was another blood source then the luminol would've reacted and caused both blood samples to fluoresce. However, if the substance is indeed paint then the chemicals inside the paint would counteract and contaminate the blood sample already on the ring. It's a very clever trick to say the least. I quite admire the person who thought of this little scheme." Everyone else nodded in affirmation of Izuru's theory.

"I still don't get what you're trying to say, spell it out in simple terms, won't you?" Jose replied to my statement.

"Well if the killer tried to use paint as a red herring in order to make us think that the ring was the murder weapon who's to say that the killer didn't also manipulate the other red herrings they left behind," I explained.

"I'm kind of lost too, what do the ring, the swimsuit, and all the other red herrings have in common anyway?" Shiro asked.

"That's easy, they all…" I asked myself the same question and then finished my statement, "Have blood on them."

"So, correct me if I'm wrong, what you're trying to say is that the blood found on the other red herrings may also be paint? Is that it?" Jose asked.

"That would explain a lot of the difficulties that we've come across so far," Yasuke replied. "If it is real blood, besides murder, the only other options would be that they used Hinata's leftover blood to make the red herrings or they used blood from another source."

"Another source, what do you mean by that?" Soshun asked. "Like animal blood?"

"Maybe, or it could be some of the blood used for transfusions in the infirmary. But before anyone gets any ideas, the first place I checked for clues was the infirmary since I had to go and set my broken nose," Yasuke replied.

"I hope it stings too," Monokuma commented with a chuckle.

"Anyway," Yasuke continued. "While I was getting some spare blood for my nose I didn't see any signs of tampering with the blood packs so I doubt the killer got the blood from there. So the only other options would be animal blood or even more extreme…the killer's own blood."

"The killer's own blood?!" Micho repeated in surprise. "You think the killer might have used their own blood just to leave a red herring behind?"

"It's not just a hunch mid you, I found something in the infirmary waste basket. It was a bunch of bloody surgical gauze, I think during the scuffle with Hinata our killer sustained one serious injury and did a mediocre patch job."

"I think the killer has proven that they will do whatever they deem as necessary to make sure they are never found out," Izuru replied. "But there's one simple way to test out everyone's different theories." Izuru shook the spray bottle of luminol slightly. "Now then, what do you say we continue our testing with that pesky swimsuit?" He looked to Sawa and I. "Did either of you bring it with you, by any chance?"

"Does it look like we brought it with us?" Sawa asked in reply.

"Very well then," then he turned to Yasuke. "Did you by any chance bring those gauze with you?"

Yasuke shook his head. "No, sorry taking a bloody medical object out of a waste disposal unit didn't cross my mind."

Izuru replied and then clapped his hands. "Oh Monokuma?"

"What do you want now?" Monokuma replied.

"We require the swimsuit as well as a few other objects to continue on with the class trial, would it be okay with you if one of us went to go and retrieve and those objects?" Izuru asked.

"Hey you can't just call a recess in a class trial whenever you damn well feel like it!" Monokuma exclaimed as he sat up in his throne. "We're running behind schedule as is."

"But we need the swimsuit and the gauze in order to determine the authenticity of the red herrings, so if we can't go would you be so kind as to go and fetch it for us yourself. Or better yet send one of your other counterparts, there are surely enough of you to gather what we need, right? If you do this for us we will be forever in your gratitude. And I swear that this will make the class trial all the more exciting."

We all looked surprised at Izuru's pleading to Monokuma. The mechanical bear stood in silence for a few moments before he replied, "Fine. Wait a second. All Monokumas front and center!" he shouted. For a few moments everything was silent but then suddenly several large vibrations shook the area like an earthquake and then we became encircled by a sea of black and white menacing teddy bears. There must have been at least a thousand Monokumas inside the room, needless to say all of us were shocked beyond comprehension.

"You probably don't need this many, this is just a reminder of the hopelessness of your situation. Beary Christmas my little despairful bitches," Monokuma said with a maniacal chuckle.

"There's…so many of them," Micho said with wide eyes.

"How the hell are they controlling this many robots?!" Jonathan asked with an equal wide-eyed expression.

"Very bad feelings hebi! Too many Monokumas hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"….Junko Onee-chan what have we done?..." Mukuro whispered to herself.

"Now then what are all the items you need because this is the only time I'll be out shopping, make a list you filthy brats!" the head Monokuma exclaimed.

"Um well… **the swimsuit** for one and **the surgical gauze** ," I replied uneasily.

"Anything else?" the head Monokuma asked.

"Hmm, well if it's not too much trouble do you think you could bring us **the entire final destination museum**?" Izuru asked like it was no big deal at all.

We all fell silent at that request. Even Monokuma seemed shocked, "Come again?" he replied.

"Well you do have a significant amount of man power so you should be able to move the exhibits and cases from Point A to Point B with no trouble at all, just bring us everything except for the corpses. I don't think any of us would be able to stomach the smell. And let's see what else? What else?" Izuru contemplated asking for evidence like he was ordering take out. "Ah, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe there were two objects of great importance in the laundry room as well. Bring us those if you please. And the objects in the botanical garden as well. And lastly, the altar in the rec room. That will help us keep track of who we can scratch off. And I think that's all, anything else we can just discuss." Izuru clapped his hands together again. "Well, what are you waiting for? Chop-chop."

Monokuma seemed incredibly pissed off. Even more pissed off than earlier when Mukuro had fought against him. "You've got a lot of fucking nerve, ordering me around like a damn pack mule!"

"I said we'd be in your gratitude. What more do you want?" Izuru asked.

"Ugh, fine! I hope you die first! Monokumas fan out, bring the bastards their evidence and be quick about it!" the head Monokuma shouted.

"Okeydokey X 1000!" the other Monokumas replied. And then the robots left as quickly as they entered.

Monokuma slouched back into his throne chair. "Ugh, this might take a while so let's cut to commercial."

"Who are you talking to?" I asked.

"None of your damn business," Monokuma replied.

* * *

CLASS TRIAL IN RECESS

* * *

 _We hope you are enjoying our program so far. We here at Despair TV live to bring all our loyal viewers great quality despair programming in real despair time. Although we realize that some of the information you have heard so far may be surprising we would like to ask you all to keep an open mind and let your thoughts and imagination wander because more surprises will be in the future. The killer of local nobody Hajime Hinata is still on the loose and will not be revealed until all other questions have been answered. And although we know the thing you are looking most forward too is the execution of the villain it will not be featured until after the next commercial break. So suck on the despair and die. That is all, we now return you to our regularly scheduled class trial still in progress._

* * *

A/N: Well I hope you guys enjoyed the first half of the class trial. I hope I made it seem good in first person minigame perspective. This was really fun to write and next time I get to write my first execution, I'm sure you guys are going to love it. See ya next time when the Monokumas gather all of Izuru's evidence.


	13. Prologue, Part 11

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, I was getting prepared for my second semester of school and lost track of time. But hopefully this chapter will be well worth the wait. Now then, without further ado part two of the class trial. Now unfortunately since I have a lot of things on my plate I did not make the rest of the class trial in this chapter. I know I said before that I was just going to make the class trial into two parts but if I did that then I probably wouldn't have gotten this chapter up until March and I know you are all looking forward to seeing what happens next. So the climax will be next chapter instead and it will include the appearance of the killer, the closing argument, the killer's confession, and of course the execution. So again sorry about the delay but I hope you like this chapter. And sorry in advance for any typos I might've missed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 11: The spotless and the blackened**

* * *

CLASS TRIAL RECONVENE

We sat in silence for almost half an hour before all the Monokumas returned, carrying piles of evidence, clues, and hints galore. One of the Monokumas came carrying the bloody swimsuit, which was still held up on its hanger, and then thrust the blood-soaked clothing item into Sawa's hands who took it hesitantly. Then the bloody gauze were given over to Yasuke, who then quickly passed them to Izuru and wiped his hands off on his trousers. Izuru smirked at the sight of the bloody gauze and then tucked them away into his pants' pocket. Then another Monokuma handed Aya an odd semi-transparent sphere which had a large pink spot on it, she stared at the pink spot with discomfort and instantly turned a pale green, making me get a pretty good guess as to what caused the pink spot.

Nate was handed a large pick axe which I recognized immediately to be the one that I came across in the botanical garden shed a few hours ago. Nate handled the weight of the large tool easily with the help of his advanced athletic prowess and swung the back end over his right shoulder, giving him the appearance of some kind of miner. Shiro was handed a small wooden box that was covered with dirt, which I immediately recognized as well, as did he judging by how big his eyes got and how fast he sat the box down on his stand's railing. And then I felt a tap on my back and I turned around to see yet another Monokuma handing me a pair of red, white-toed sneakers. I took the sneakers hesitantly and when the Monokuma was rid of them he ran off towards the exit along with the other Monokumas who gave out objects.

Finally, the last of the Monokumas began bringing in several large cases from the museum in pairs of two. It was amazing how much their little bear bodies could hold, they were almost like ants. They set up each of the glass cases and exhibits along the walls, having each student's own exhibit housed right under the corresponding tapestry, until all twenty-eight cases and mannequins were accounted for. And then they brought out all the murder weapon exhibits and placed them right before the head Monokuma who was still laying back in his throne-like chair. He actually appeared to be sleeping now. Then when all the museum exhibits were set up the last four Monokumas brought in that large familiar and ugly altar that Yasuke, Jonathan, and I had stumbled upon when we began Monokuma's death scavenger hunt earlier. They hadn't missed a single solitary thing, even all the candles were perfectly balanced on all the platforms as the Monokumas carried it to the courtroom and then placed it in the center of our court ring for all to see. Besides Nagito, Mukuro, and Izuru of course, the others seemed surprised to see the horrible eyesore of worship. However, I couldn't help but notice that the memorial portraits of the students were now missing.

"Hey, what gives?!" Yasuke exclaimed. "Where's the photos of the students?!"

"Yeah, I specifically remember four of them. Two on the top shelf and then two on the shelf second from the top. Four portraits can't just disappear into thin air!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Monokuma began to stir. "*Zzzz*… eh? What?" the mechanical bear asked innocently as he rubbed his eyes with his paws.

"Were you seriously sleeping?" Micho asked as she sweatdropped.

"Of course I was," Monokuma replied. "What the hell do you expect me to do during a stinking commercial break? Talk with you idiots?"

Nodaka sighed. "Why am I not surprised? Everything's just a big joke to you isn't it?" she asked Monokuma.

"Hey, it's not my life on the line here, little maid," Monokuma replied.

Nodaka scowled. "Call me that again. I dare you."

Monokuma scoffed. "Please, little maid, you won't be able to land a single blow."

Nodaka bore her teeth and started visibly shaking. "Damn, I swear to god. I want to rip that fucking toy's head off."

"Mukuro-chan already beat you too it, little maid~," Monokuma replied.

Nodaka growled loudly but restrained her anger.

"Ahem, if we're done, can we please get back to the matter at hand?" Yasuke asked. He looked to Monokuma and then asked, "Where are the memorial portraits? Your stupid note in the rec room said that each time we identified a dead student one would appear, so not just those four but all the others ones we've identified should be on there too."

"Yes, but I meant that only for the people who were participating in the scavenger hunt. All the others are completely in the dark…save for a few nosey brats…so if you want me to put the pictures back up on the altar you'll have to identify the students all over again."

"What? But we already know a few of them are dead for sure, that's not fair!" Beigoma exclaimed.

"Just ignore his petty games, one problem at a time," Izuru replied. He looked over to Jose and then at me. "We've established the notion so far that what we believe the blood might actually be paint, which would explain the lack of florescence from even the old blood on Yasuhiro-chan's ring. But just to be sure, we have gathered all the other bloody objects that we've come across throughout the whole building to at last test this theory once and for all."

Aya held up her spherical object for all to see. "But how did you know about this? I saw it before in the laundry room but I don't think I ever once brought it up in our debate."

"I already told you, before you guys came across those clues I had already examined each and every single one of them. I just didn't take them with me because I already had several big pieces to the mystery with me and I didn't want to leave the rest of you totally in the dark. That crystal ball you're holding, that pick axe, that little box with the dead hamster in it…"

"Um, excuse me? Did you say dead hamster?" Micho asked with wide eyes.

"May I finish please?" Izuru replied. "The hoodie Ikusaba-chan is wearing snuggly, that pair of sneakers Maita-kun is holding onto, and all the other clues which are crucial to determining the identity of the killer. I know all about them."

"That's how you knew about the altar then? You participated in the death scavenger hunt too?" I asked Izuru.

Yasuke's eyes widened. "Seriously? Where the hell were you when we needed you then?"

"While a secret hint did sound appealing I was far too busy gathering up my own evidence so I figured whatever the clue was the people participating would bring it to the table," Izuru replied. "And then when I saw all of you in the music room together I got curious and did a little searching in the third floor, where Monokuma told me the hint would lie. I saw the altar and the portraits and knew exactly what the hint was, Monokuma was trading a few revealed identities in exchange for having a good laugh at you running around the school like rats in his overblown maze."

"Are you saying we're idiots for going along with his game?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, but that's not the point," Izuru replied. "The point is, **this death scavenger hunt is actually related to the murder**."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"That's right, look at the altar a little closer. The clue is on its base," Izuru explained. We did as he said and scanned the lower part of the memorial altar, at first I didn't know what we were supposed to be looking for but when I finally saw it I knew for sure that this was what Izuru was talking about.

I jumped back a little at the sight of the all too familiar substance on the bottom of the altar. "Is that…?!"

"Are you joking?! What does this even mean?!" Nodaka exclaimed as she pulled at her hair.

"Unprecedented!" Jose exclaimed with glee.

Nagito laughed a little. "You were right Izuru-kun that was very surprising."

"Will somebody please tell me what the hell is going on here?! Why is their **blood on the altar**?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"Simple my neurologist companion, the blood is still bright pink which means that it's really fresh and there's only one source with fresh enough blood wouldn't you say?"

'Fresh enough blood?' I repeated inside my head. 'The only source I can think of would be…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied out loud, "Hinata-kun's murder."

"What?! What are you saying?!" Micho exclaimed. "The killer came into contact with the altar after the murder?!"

"No, even more surprising. I'm saying that the rec room wasn't where this altar was originally, **the altar was originally in classroom 5C, our crime scene** ," Izuru replied.

"You're kidding?! This ugly hunk of junk is just another piece of moved evidence?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Think about the state of the crime scene," said Izuru. "The blood from Hinata-kun's stab wounds drained out into a small pool around him until he died from exsanguination. But did any of you happen to notice a straight-edged void at the edge of the blood pool?"

"Void? What are you talking about you creepy scarecrow?" Cam asked.

"Counselor, would you like to take this one? I'm getting tired of explaining mystery details to these simpletons," Izuru said rudely.

"Okay," Micho replied softly, still a little surprised about the newly presented evidence. "Blood flows in a constant manner whether it's drained out in Hinata-kun's case of even cast off as blood splatter. Sometimes an object in the way of the blood flow obstructs it and the blood is transferred to the object instead. And when that object is removed from the crime scene it results in what is known as a blood void effect, leaving a bare spot in the direction of the blood flow behind. I do seem to recall a large straight-edged blood void at the edge of Hinata-kun's blood pool, and the blood on the front base of the altar, I think it's safe to say that if we compared the shape of the altar's front base to the shape of the blood void it would be a perfect match."

"So if I'm hearing correctly, you and Monsieur Jabberwock are saying that le altar is actually part of le crime scene, no?" Connie asked.

"That's right," Izuru replied. "Which means somebody moved it."

"But what would be the point of moving such a gigantic thing?!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Are you saying this can point back to the killer's identity too?!"

"Yes it could, that is if it were **the complete altar** ," Izuru replied.

"Complete altar? Mr. Izuru Kamukura what are you going on about now?" Keiko asked as she pressed her hands to her hips.

"We've already been over this, Matsuda-kun and Junmaru-kun were raising such a ruckus about it too. Don't tell me that you've already forgotten?" Izuru asked smugly.

'The rest of the altar?' I thought to myself. 'Wait a second, could Izuru be talking about "that"?' I asked myself. I asked my other self the same question and then replied for all to hear, "It's the memorial portraits." I looked to Izuru. "Are you saying that when this altar was at our crime scene the memorial portraits were already on it?"

"Precisely," Izuru replied.

"What?! Are you kidding me with this shit?!" Yasuke exclaimed in surprise.

"What? What does that even mean?" Micho asked, still in the dark as much as the others were.

"Those memorial portraits, did any of you who participated in the death scavenger hunt wonder for even a second where they came from?" Izuru asked.

"Well of course we did, but after seeing that note left by Monokuma we figured he made those and left them there for us to find," Jonathan replied.

Izuru chuckled at that notion. "So that's your hypothesis, eh? You're saying that the maniacal bear who's already proven to us that he doesn't care a lick about human life, made memorial portraits of the students and then rested them on an altar as a sign of remorse?"

"Well yeah, maybe that does sound a little farfetched when you think about it that way," Jonathan replied. "But I mean look at that ugly altar, it looks like it's purely meant to hex, right?"

"Hmm, true," Izuru replied. "But to Monokuma, everything here is a game, he has no remorse for the dead at all."

'Yeah, I can believe that. I have evidence related to the fact after all,' I thought to myself. (Ammunition needed: **Monokuma's testimony** ) "That's it!" I replied, getting everyone else's attention. "I agree with what Kamukura-kun is saying, come to think of it, back when I was investigating Shirobane-kun and I ran into Monokuma in the botanical garden when we discovered the dead hamster."

"Um, can we please discuss the issue of the dead hamster before we go any further?" Micho asked.

"In a minute," Izuru replied. "Please continue, Maita-kun."

I nodded and continued to speak. "Well Monokuma made a grave marker for the hamster but he gave the worst eulogy ever, it was like he was purely making fun of the concept of death."

Flashback:

 _Monokuma turned to the mound and then got on his knees and folded his paws together. "Here lies Jum-P, the last remaining Dark Deva of Destruction. He was a good pet. I personally found the damn thing disgusting but that Gundam Tanaka boy and its caretaker after Tanaka's demise seemed to think it was cute. Even though their remains may be in different locations hopefully their spirits will reunite with animal boy, wherever he may have been sent, which in his case was probably the underworld, that half-demon brat. Amen."_

" _Just kidding, I know you're not there. I'm talking to myself right now while these two boys just listen and feel appalled. Amen. Again, just kidding no one's on the other side. There is no fucking after life! When you die you die, plain and simple. After that just comes rot and then the Circle of Death. Am…you know what I'm not even going to say it again, I might laugh furiously if I do and at a funeral that's just disrespectful. I'll save my laughter for when I'm alone. So in conclusion, hasta la vista you dumb hamster may you rot in the ground forever more." Then he got up and turned around to look at us. "Well, what did you think of my eulogy? It was just something I slapped together at the last minute but I think that overall it was pretty good."_

"Yeah, and to top it all off he kept saying how playing with dead things was about the most fun thing in the world," Shiro added, getting horrified looks out of everyone.

Izuru shrugged. "I'm not surprised. Remember the person who controls him is the very definition of a monster."

"Oh you're too kind!" Monokuma exclaimed in glee as an embarrassed blush spread across his face.

Soshun grunted. "I'm getting sick of him getting glib over comments like that."

"I could see Monokuma putting the portraits here at the trial grounds maybe, the crowning achievement to his game, but not on any altar of the sort. Even one as truly ugly as this. He doesn't want to honor them or the show any remorse at all. If he was just a simple psychopath that would be the case. But we're dealing with a full-blown sociopath here people. Someone who thinks of living things as toys that they can break and then throw away when they're tired of them. All that leads me to believe that Monokuma just made up the death scavenger hunt as an excuse to hide more evidence for our killer. That's one of the tricks you're responsible for in this case, isn't it?" Izuru asked Monokuma.

"Ooh, such cold and hard calculative reasoning! I guess I should have expected as much from the Ultimate Hope though! Congratulations, my pathetic pupils you've solved one of the mysteries, and as a reward I'll tell you all about this creepy and ugly altar!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Allow me to reveal the true nature of this altar, as you suspected I wasn't the one who made that piece of garbage. I have better creative style than that, did you not see my museum's décor?" Monokuma asked playfully. "No not I, t'was one of the students. The ugly little midget girl known as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer."

"H-Hiyoko Saionji?!" I exclaimed. "She made this altar?!"

Monokuma sighed. "Right after the survivors of the classroom massacre broke free of their one week of torment they were plagued with endless pangs of guilt. How could they not be though? Eight of their friends sacrificed themselves for them after all, so one night the shortest and most rotten girl, Hiyoko Saionji, who up until that point had pretended like she didn't care about the others made a shrine in the dead of night to honor her fallen comrades just as she was taught to do by her grandmother. She was called the Ultimate "Traditional" Dancer for a reason you know. Her family was real old school, she thought building an altar for the others would really raise up everybody's spirits. But the first time they all saw it they pretty much reacted the way all of you were acting before."

Monokuma continued. "Hiyoko meant well but she had no design décor at all, she even started to cry and ball when she saw how much the others disliked the altar she made with her own two hands. But one student, Mahiru Koizumi the Ultimate Photographer, saw the kindness in Hiyoko's deed and decided to frame specific pictures of the others she had developed in her room on Hiyoko's altar to honor the others. And pretty soon all the other students started frequenting that altar quite a bit to show some respect for the eight people who gave their lives for them. And where was this altar set up, you ask? Why it was placed in the very place where the eight students passed away, classroom 5C, the bloody site of the classroom massacre!"

"So it is true, you didn't make that altar at all?" Jonathan asked.

"Nope, I just hid the core pieces of it and made a game out of it. Aren't I a stinker?" Monokuma replied.

"So you see now, right?" Izuru asked. "The key to determining the identity of the killer is to get all the portraits back up on the altar, and the only way we can do that is by determining who is dead and who is not."

"Just what we've been trying to confirm all this time," Nodaka replied. "How does this help us at all? We're no better off than when we started."

"Is that really true Nodaka-chan?" Nagito asked out of nowhere after remaining silent for so long.

Nodaka growled at Nagito. "I thought I told you not to use familiarities around me dog boy!" she exclaimed.

Nagito smiled and chuckled. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse my bad memory. Anyway, I was just going to remind you that since the trial began we've already established the fates of quite a few people. Everything is going just like I hoped it would so far, we're not just looking for the killer any more. We're trying to solve all the mysteries of this place one by one. This leads me to believe that the identity of the killer won't be revealed until we've successfully established beyond a doubt the fates of all the suspects."

"Y-You really think it's going to come to that?" Aya asked.

"We've tried exploring it from other possible angles in order to save time but it looks like we have no other choice but to go along with my plan," Nagito replied. "You all must have forgotten." Nagito smirked and continued. "I know who the killer is already."

"Oh yeah, I remember you and Kamukura-kun said something about that earlier," I replied.

Izuru stayed silent and simply folded his arms and gained an expression of patience on his face, like he was waiting for just the right moment to intervene.

"Seriously?!" Yasuke exclaimed. "If you know who it is then just tell us already, stop making us waste needless time!"

Nagito chuckled in replied. "Needless? I don't think what we're doing is needless at all. Those students were just like us, symbols of hope. Pure hope. Which is what this great school once stood for." Then Nagito gained a wicked glare and gritted his teeth in anger. "And someone, the person controlling that stupid toy waltzed right in and in one fell swoop destroyed them and their hope once and for all. And that is simply something I cannot forgive," Nagito as he balled up his mitted right hand into a fist.

'Huh?' I thought to myself. 'Nagito, what's going on?'

"I don't get what you're talking about at all!" Keiko exclaimed. "I agree with Mr. Yasuke Matsuda, if you and Mr. Izuru Kamukura know the killer's true identity then I implore you to tell us!"

"It's a waste of time, we tried getting Izu and Nag to talk about it earlier and they wouldn't budge an inch," Jonathan replied as he sighed in defeat.

"Wait, you all knew about this and did nothing?!" Yasuke shouted.

"What the hell were we supposed to do you dirty manga otaku?!" Nodaka shouted back at Yasuke. "You know what those two creeps are like, they're actually enjoying everything that's going on! It's all like one big fucked up game to them!"

Nagito laughed again. "No, you all misunderstand my intentions. While Izuru-kun may solely be in it for the chance to solve mysteries and have a little fun, my reasons are beyond simple. This is all for the sake of _hope_." All of a sudden a shiver ran up my spine. The moment he uttered that word it was as if a dense fog had formed overhead.

'Nagito?' I looked straight at him, he was just smiling. Smiling with a look of pure glee on his face. Something about that smile, it set me on edge. Way more than Izuru. 'Wh-What's going on? All of a sudden it's like there's a completely different tone in his voice. Some kind of underlying meaning to his words. And that smile, it's not care-free anymore. It feels dark and twisted.' It was the kind of smile that a voyeur might have when they look at the scene of an accident or the kind of smile a pure sadist might wear when they torture someone. Everything about it made me feel uncomfortable, and Nagito's words just pressed on that feeling. Anxiety welled up in my stomach like a balloon. "Hey Komaeda-kun, are you feeling alright?" I asked suddenly.

He blinked in confusion. "Am I alright?" Nagito asked. "Why I've never felt better in my entire life, don't you see? We all have the chance to do something truly great, we can end this despair once and for all and end the suffering of the students who lost their lives to the Mastermind and his puppet."

"I told you I'm not a puppet!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"As Hope's Peak Academy students we are the symbols of hope that everyone throughout the world look to for guidance and leadership. We are the hope of the next generation and the new world that comes along with it. Well at least you guys are anyway, I'm worthless trash with a worthless talent remember?" Then Nagito glared at Monokuma again. "And then this fiend came along and tried to destroy twenty-eight of those symbols of hope by forcing them into this mutual killing game and making them experience the worst kind of despair imaginable." Then he smiled again. "But from what I know now, not one of them, not a single one of them gave into that overwhelming despair and murdered a friend."

"What? How could you possibly know that?" Micho asked.

Nagito smiled. "I pieced it altogether as soon as I saw that altar. Despite its otherworldly appearance I can feel the great amount of hope and love that was placed into it. Those symbols of hope, even though they were entrapped by this blood thirsty monster hiding behind a toy they never once gave in and selfishly put themselves before hope. They thought about the hope for them all. Everyone's united hope to break free from the walls that surrounded them outweighed any one person's hope of sacrificing their friends. Don't you see? It was not a battle between the students themselves but a battle between their united hope and the Mastermind's despair. A battle which they passed down to us so we could finish it once and for all. So I will not rest until their sacrifices are honored, until each student's sorrow and pain is revealed and they are given the respect that they deserve! Their hope will not be squandered!" As he declared this, Nagito's eyes began to morph into something otherworldly. They swirled and swirled around as if they were in some sort of hypnotic trance. Wave after wave of darkness seemed to be contained in them, it was like gazing into a deep pit of malice and despair.

Despair. There was no other word for it. Though he said odd things about the other students sacrificing themselves for hope, and their united hope, and pure hope…though he spoke volumes about hope I could not feel hopeful at all from his words. Nagito was not brimming with hope at that point, but the pure opposite. The Mastermind controlling Monokuma, if I had to guess it would have been someone like him. If this truly was the hope that Nagito was talking about then I wondered, just what the hell was hope to him?

'What the hell? What's going on?!' I exclaimed to myself in utter horror. My eyes shifted around the court room and I saw that the others were just as shocked as I was at Nagito's sudden transformation. Then my eyes landed on Jose. 'This is just like…' I thought back to Jose's transformation in the library archives. 'Now Nagito too? What the hell is happening? Is everyone going crazy or am I just imagining things?' I asked myself.

"Now come classmates, let's continue our debate!" Nagito exclaimed in glee.

"Um…right, no matter how weird things get we have to stick it out and uncover the truth," Micho said uneasily. "Komaeda-kun, you asserted that you think not just the eight that died in classroom 5C but really all of the suspects committed suicide, correct?"

"That's right, and I don't think it, I know it," Nagito replied.

"So wait, no one committed murder at all? Everything that happened was just a bunch of suicides? Does that include Hajime's case? Someone help me out, I'm completely lost here!" Nate exclaimed in confusion.

"If you recall, Monokuma told us this before we started our investigation…" Nagito replied.

 **Flashback:**

" _Hajime and the other twenty-seven students were picked to participate in this game originally, but just like with you guys I wanted to see if they could stick it out so I gave them a little test. I locked them in a room on the fifth floor for a whole week without any food, or water, and I wouldn't even allow them to sleep. I boarded up all the windows, making the door the only entrance and exit, and I told them I would only let them out if eight of them died."_

"Because of that, I have reason to believe that those eight deaths in classroom 5C were all suicides," Nagito continued.

"Eh?! How can you possibly know that?!" Soshun exclaimed.

"Simple, my proof is…" Nagito suddenly pointed in Nodaka's direction, "The sword Nodaka-chan is carrying."

"Huh?" Nodaka replied. "What are you getting at dog boy?"

"That's not just any sword is it? I recognize the shinai bag, that's Peko-chan's sword isn't it?" Nagito asked.

Nodaka glared at Nagito. "You, just what are you getting at? You better not be trying to say that you think Peko-sama is the killer!"

"Goodness no, what I'm getting at is going to clear Peko-chan's name as well," Nagito replied. "Did anyone else happen to read the plaque from the case where Nodaka-chan swiped that sword? If you'll recall correctly, that sword is one of the murder weapons that make up the museum's collection."

'The plaque on the sword's case?' I repeated in my head. 'Wait a second, I do remember seeing that. If I remember correctly it talked about…' I asked my other self the same question and then I replied out loud, "That's right, the plaque on the sword's case mentioned that Monokuma swapped out Pekoyama-san's bamboo practice sword for a real one which she used to kill herself in classroom 5C to spare the others."

"I can attest to this," Monokuma suddenly spoke up. "I figured Peko-chan, being the strategist that she was, would put her young master, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu-kun, above her or anyone else's safety and win the game for him." Then he sat back in his throne and slumped. "But it turns out that even though she just considered herself as unnecessary she did not deem the others as such. But she still had her duty to her young master so even against his many, many, many protests she committed harakiri and nobly ended her life. It was so…boring."

"Wow, you usually only hear of honorable stuff like that in old samurai movies. Props to the Ultimate Swordswoman," Nate said with a cheerful smile.

"So it is true?" Nodaka asked rhetorically. "Peko-sama, you were truly brave until the very end," the Ultimate Maid said with a sad smile.

"But hang on, how does this prove that the others committed suicide as well?" Micho asked.

"Have you ever heard the term "chain-reaction" before?" Nagito asked in reply.

"Le chain reaction is a term used to refer to one particular person's or object's actions being la catalyst or le result of another person's or object's actions," Connie answered.

"Bravo, Connie-chan. Yes, and in this case Peko-chan's noble sacrifice led to the others sacrificing themselves for the sake of the other's remaining hope. It is a chain-reaction of hope in its purest form, one hopeful act of killing gave rise to another and then another and then another until all that remained was the cumulative hope of all their fallen allies. The two survivors of this wretched game used their friends' deaths as stepping stones to reach greater aspirations of hope. Don't you all see the beauty that came out of this horrible tragedy?" Nagito asked.

We were all literally speechless.

Then Nagito sighed and filled the courtroom with life again. "But sadly, those two remaining students decided to squander that hope fool-heartedly and put their own selfish desires before hope. Unlike the others, Hajime-kun and the killer are not "spotless". No, they are both "blackened"."

"Blackened?" I repeated the word in confusion.

"Their hands are blackened and stained with the ugly word of murder, not the less ugly word of suicide. Though I personally do not think that it matters which form of sacrifice is necessary for cultivating hope, in my opinion if the chain-reaction of hope began with suicide it should end with suicide. That's how I know that the other students chose to kill themselves instead of harming their friends. Their united hope speaks volumes of self-sacrifice. They are all spotless, even the Ultimate Despair, Junko-chan. Amazingly, her hands are clean as well. And with that, I rest my case."

I could not comprehend the string of words that came out of Nagito Komaeda's mouth. Try as I might it was impossible. Killing for the sake of hope? Murder for the sake of hope? Suicide for the sake of hope? It was as if Nagito had simply strung the most horrible words imaginable and connected them to that word that was supposed to mean saving grace. Hope. Though his mouth praised hope, his eyes did not. His eyes were like a shade of hope and despair crudely fused together. 'Is this…is this monster the real Nagito?' I asked myself.

"You…You humongous creep! What the hell are you even talking about?!" Nodaka exclaimed.

"Pardon?" Nagito replied, snapping back to his senses.

"What the hell does all that stuff even mean?! Blackened?! Spotless?! Who gives a shit?!" the rude maid shouted.

Nagito folded his arms and shot a confused expression back at Nodaka. "I'm terribly sorry, I don't know what you mean. Aren't you glad that your precious Peko-sama was courageous? Her hope shined so brightly, if only for a mere second before she cut out her own stomach." Nagito grabbed his arms and then he began to shiver as if he was trying to warm himself up. His face became even more grotesque as a blush rushed across his cheeks and a perverse, gleeful exhale escaped his lips. "Oh if only I could have been there to witness the hope that came out of their despairful deaths, the hope that solidified the surviving students in uniting to escape, even if that hope was short lived, it most have been such a spectacular sight. All the Ultimates coming together against this overwhelming despair, I just get chills thinking about it."

"Wh-What the hell is wrong with this guy?!" Jonathan asked rhetorically. "I knew he was messed up but…damn…just god dammit he's a fucking psycho!"

"That look in his eyes, it's the kind of look a sadistic sicko gets from killing defenseless animals," Aya said in a quiet and frightened tone. "I…I don't think I want to be around Komaeda-san anymore."

"Hope this, hope that hebi! Chuudoku is so frustrating and scary hebi!" Azami exclaimed, clearly getting tired of Nagito's endless ranting.

"This is nowhere near the amount of malice I feel from Monokuma. This is…it's making it hard to breath," said Micho, who was also clearly scared.

"I think Monsieur White Rabbit has…gone off le deep end, *heh, heh, ha, ha*…no?" Connie replied.

"I don't buy it," Jose said suddenly, shifting the mood of the room.

"Dude…after hearing all that…you're still not convinced that Nagito is bat shit crazy?" Nate asked.

"Jose…come on, it's okay to admit you're a little wigged out," Cam assured his friend.

"It's not about that. I know he's crazy, Kamukura-san I get because he's a lot like me but Komaeda-san, you'd have to be pretty deranged yourself not to think he's out of his f'ing mind. What I was referring to was Komaeda-san's basis for saying every other death that occurred in this game was a suicide. All that ranting about killing for the sake of hope? Get real. The rantings of a mad man and nothing more," Jose replied.

"So Jose-kun, you don't believe that hope can arise out of the darkest situations, eh? Tell me, if you were in their shoes and were forced between killing a friend or killing yourself which would you chose? I know you're not the kind of person to take a life so probably the latter, right? I'm the same, so don't you see what potential there is? Someone as worthless as me has the chance to experience that same hope along with you guys, isn't it a wonderful thing?" Nagito asked.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about anymore so I'm just going to ignore you now. But if you must know, if it came down to murder or suicide I would pick C) neither," Jose replied boldly. "There is no mystery that can't be solved, killing is useless when you come down to it because someone always finds out whodunit in the end, that's the point of mysteries. I've never even thought about killing another person because I know there's no way in hell I'll ever get away with it, not to mention after the fact you have to maintain the secret and swallow all that overwhelming guilt. It's too much of a hassle and a stressor to kill someone. The only people who have the gall to get away with it are psychos and lunatics, you know people like you. Look at the long track of history's killers and you'll understand."

Jose continued his rant. "Most of them had mental problems or hidden complexes which they just projected onto others out of hate and loathing. That's not me at all. Do you want to know the reason I like reading mysteries, it's because they always catch the killer in the stories, and to me this whole thing is just another mystery, even if it is set in real life. I already know I'm going to win, it's inevitable, the killer is always found one way or another. So I choose not to listen to your idiotic ways of thinking any further. Get it through your head, killing for any sort of ideology, especially one as idiotic and baseless as hope is repulsive. The part of the novel I enjoy the most is when they catch the sicko or maniac that did it. Which is why I'm not going to let you stand there and preach to me that the students killed themselves because they all in some way believed in your depraved logic."

Then Jose smirked. "You can't fool me, the reason you know that all the other kills were suicides is because you found some very important evidence, didn't you?"

"…" Nagito smirked as well, and then he crossed his arms and remained silent.

"Don't feel like sharing, eh?" Jose replied. "Fine then, I don't need your clues. I'll solve this mystery on my own merit. And speaking of which…" Jose looked in my direction and then he looked to Sawa. "I think it's time we settle this matter once and for all. Is Aoi Asahina our killer? You say no, I say yes. If you want to continue on ahead, prove it to me. Give me everything you've got and if I'm satisfied with your answers then I'll surrender and allow us to continue our debate."

"Asahina-sempai would never hurt a fly, and I'll stake my own life on that!" Sawa exclaimed.

I stared at Jose with curiosity. 'First Jose, then Nagito. It's like their personalities did a complete 180. Am I missing something? No, that's not important right now,' I thought to myself. 'Jose, may be stubborn but I can tell he's way better at solving mysteries than I am, he has to think Aoi isn't the killer as well. He might just be testing me? But why and for what purpose? Is it because he thinks we really do need the clues Nagito and Izuru hold to win or maybe…? No, there's decisive evidence that Aoi's not the killer, and whatever may lie ahead the first step out this is to get Jose on my side. Let's do this.'

* * *

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN: AKIRA V. JOSE

WEAK POINTS TO HACK: 3

 **Warning:** I know all of you are familiar with rebuttal showdowns from playing _Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair_ but just in case you've forgotten about how to get through them here's a little tutorial. In this part of the game the ammunition and evidence AKA Truth Bullets is replaced with a multitude of swords, so instead of shooting through contradictions you're going to be slashing through your opponents words by again targeting weak spots in their statements.

However, rebuttal showdowns will work a bit differently throughout the story, and will sometimes contain multiple weak points which you will have to hack at with the right swords until a conclusion can be reached. It may be a tad more difficult but luckily this will also help you progress to a conclusion faster. And don't worry, when there's more than one weak point in the future it will be brought up in advance.

In this case, Mr. Jose Historia appears to be testing you to see if you are on the same page as him. There should be three weak points you need to strike to reach a new break in the case. After all it's pretty obvious that Aoi Asahina couldn't be the killer, right? So do your best and I'm sure both you and Jose will come to a conclusion you can both agree on. Also as for hacking away at your opponents other statements just pretend that you're slashing through the words with your finger just like in good old Dangaronpa 2. Ready to go? Then have fun.

"It should be blatantly obvious who the killer is," said Jose as he folded his arms in a demeaning manner. "Blood is thicker than water as the saying goes, Aoi Asahina figured that if she committed the murder in her swimsuit she might be able to wash the blood off like she was washing off chlorine from the pool."

"But with everything else we've determined and guessed at since the swimsuit was first brought up, I just have my doubts about it being as open and shut as that," I replied.

Jose scoffed, "Maita-san, you are a doubtful one aren't you?"

DRAW!

"Let's go over the flow of the case from the beginning based on what we've discovered so far and I'm sure you'll understand clearly," Jose replied. "Hajime Hinata, was summoned **by the killer** to meet up at classroom 5C at **2:00 A.M.** to discuss something. Currently the subject of their meeting is unknown but it probably doesn't matter. It was an obvious ploy to lure him out so our killer could finish him off."

"Knowing it was a trap, Hinata-san prepared himself for the inevitable and **decided to kill the killer before he himself was murdered by them**. Donning Kyoko Kirigiri's gloves he went out of his way to frame the dead student as the killer in case he was successful in his endeavor. He also made use of the knife Ikusaba-san gave to her sister and **took it to the classroom** , this was most likely also used to throw suspicion on to Enoshima-san. Then he headed to the classroom a little before 2:00 A.M. as specified by the Monokuma File, he most likely went there early so he could surprise the killer with a preemptive strike. It's unclear as to whether the killer was already waiting for him or not but what is clear is that Hinata-kun definitely struggled with the killer for the knife, **Hinata-kun's body and the state of the crime scene both support this**."

"It was most likely in **self-defense** , but it still counts as murder. The killer, Asahina-san, was also planning a pre-meditated murder but was most likely interrupted by Hinata-kun's preemptive strike and simply acted on instinct instead, **wrestling him to the floor** and then **stabbing him in the abdomen** with his own murder weapon. After Hinata-kun was dead, they got to work planting the red herrings. And the killer hid the damming evidence pointing back to them in an obvious spot **to purposely throw suspicion on to their self** in an effort to shift our attention to the others. A trap that you ultimately fell for."

(1st Ammunition needed: **Hajime's body** , 1st Contradiction to refute: **"wrestling him to the floor"**

ADVANCE!

"But just because the swimsuit appeared to have blood on it, that doesn't mean that it's related to the murder," I replied. "If you think about it logically, isn't it weird that we found the swimsuit so far away from the crime scene if it's related to the case?"

"You are forgetting, Maita-san," Jose replied. "Monokuma was also at play here. He admitted himself that he **moved some of the evidence**. The swimsuit was used in the murder no doubt about it. **The killer was wearing it** as they fought with Hinata-kun. How else could the swimsuit have gotten blood on it? **There is no other way** to leave such a large stain except from blood splatter. Case closed, Aoi Asahina is guilty!"

'Jose's argument seems very sound when you look at it from a certain perspective, but there's loose threads in the words he's saying and when you pull a thread it all starts to unravel. I just need to find out the things that don't make sense. (2nd Ammunition needed: **Bloody swimsuit** , 2nd Contradiction to refute: **"the killer was wearing it"**.  3rd Ammunition needed: **Blood test** , 3rd Contradiction to refute: **"there is no other way"**.) "Impressed yet?!" I shouted out when I realized the answer.

CUT!

* * *

"Historia-kun, you're reasoning sounds solid over all but when you listen to it very closely you can see that there are some minor discrepancies," I replied.

"Oh, and pre tell what kind of discrepancies do you find with my arguments?" Jose asked.

"Well first of all, back when you were talking about Hinata-kun's struggle with the killer. I agree that a struggle definitely took place but I don't think the fight was decided the way you explained it. Remember, Hajime's body? Along with the large wounds in his abdomen sustained from the stabbing he also had a large gash on his forehead. That makes me think that the only reason the killer was able to get the upper hand on Hinata-kun was because they struck Hinata-kun with something, causing him to become incapacitated. This is drawn further upon in the Monokuma File," I explained.

Monokuma File Flashback:

" _Though the stabs wounds to the abdomen appear to be the cause of death there are also has several old wounds scattered along the arms and legs._ _ **As well as one fresh wound on the forehead that appears to have been inflicted antemortem, this was most likely caused during a struggle with the killer which resulted in Hajime being subdued by the blow.**_ _"_

"Oh yeah, now that I think about it the Monokuma File did mention something like that," Soshun spoke up. "So you think instead of forcing him to the ground, the killer knocked him out?"

"No, they didn't necessarily have to knock Hinata-kun out, the killer was probably just trying to daze him so they could get the knife away from him. In all likelihood Hinata-kun was still conscious at the moment of his death."

"Yeah, I remember his face," Micho added. "It looked like he was absolutely terrified. He had to have been awake to leave a face like that behind."

"Okay so I may have been wrong about the method used to end the struggle but that's the only problem," Jose replied.

"Actually, there's another problem with your argument. The matter of Asahina-san's swimsuit," I replied. "You think that the killer was wearing it so they could contain the blood splatter from the murder and get rid of it easily, correct? That would mean the killer would have to be wearing it while they were fighting Hajime, right?"

"What exactly are you getting at?" Jose asked.

"I'm saying that isn't it odd how Hajime's clothes looked like they had been through hell and back but besides the blood stain the swimsuit is in perfect condition, like no one's worn it a long time," I explained. "If the killer did indeed wear this while they murdered Hinata-kun wouldn't they have damaged the swimsuit in some kind of way during the struggle with the knife? But there's not even a single rip or tear in it. Furthermore, we've yet to establish that the blood on the swimsuit is really blood at all."

"You're talking about what we said earlier with the paint, right Aki?" Jonathan asked.

"Exactly, the art room is only one floor above the pool area while classroom 5C is three floors above the pool area. Plus, the other red herrings we found have been left at or have at least been in close proximity towards the crime scene," I explained. I could see that not everyone was following me so I decided to use an example. "Remember a little while ago when we were testing the two possible murder weapons? Ikusaba-san's survival knife as well as Yasuhiro-san's ring? The survival knife illuminated showing that it did indeed have blood on it which matched its bloody pink outside. However, the ring which was also covered in blood did not illuminate at all, not even the old blood underneath the layer of new blood. This led us to believe that the fresh blood on the ring was in actuality something that corrupted the DNA in the old blood underneath, something like paint. Well I think we should officially decide it, I can't think of any other explanation besides that. Someone painted the ring and I think the same goes for the swimsuit too."

"But weren't we discussing other means to create the red herrings too, like using animal blood, or the killer even using their own blood?" Shiro asked.

"I think we can put those theories to rest now," I replied. "If it was animal blood or even the killer's own blood I think it still would have illuminated, but as we all saw when Kamukura-kun tested the ring earlier there was no effect. Trust me on this, I'm positive. The blood on the swimsuit is really just paint. There's no other possible explanation."

"Hmmmmmm…" Azami murmured to herself. Then finally she grunted and shouted, "Azami-tan can't take this doubt anymore hebi!" Then she looked at Sawa. "Ippan-chan, give Azami-tan the swimsuit and we'll settle this matter once and for all hebi!"

"Um, is that me?" Sawa asked. Receiving a nod from Azami, Sawa passed the swimsuit along to Azami.

The Ultimate Oculist studied the large pink stain on the swimsuit carefully, then she sniffed it, and finally she licked it. "Hmmmm…it tastes and smells like arts and crafts hebi." Then her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Myo-kun speaks the truth hebi! It's paint, no doubt about it hebi!"

"Um I get smelling, but can you really tell that by tasting it?" Micho asked as she sweatdropped.

"Looks like I'm needed again," said Izuru, speaking for the first time in god knows how long. "Give it here and we'll test it out," he said motioning for Azami to pass him the swimsuit. Then Izuru put a few drops of the luminol onto the swimsuit and as if on cue Monokuma turned off the lights. Nothing happened as expected. The lights came on again and we were given a smirk by Izuru. "Excellent deduction skills. And I get your reasoning now, you were focusing on what the two red herrings that have given us the most trouble have in common right?"

"What are you blabbering on about now?" Cam asked.

"It's simple, the thing that both the ring and the swimsuit have in common is that they…" I asked my other self the same question and then answered aloud, "Is that they were both found far away from the crime scene. The swimsuit was found in the most obvious place, the pool area, but it turned out to be pretty effective in making us reevaluate the red herrings. And Akasaka-san, correct me if I'm wrong but you found Yasuhiro-san's ring in the dormitory area, right?"

"That's correct, I found it in the bathhouse inside one of the lockers. But what about it?" Keiko asked.

"Another red herring that's pretty far away from the crime scene, yet it is meant to be thought of as a red herring because it has blood on it. I think I'm beginning to figure this out now," I explained.

"Took you long enough," said Jose. "I didn't think you were going to make me hold your hand the whole time through this case, but as long as you understand now I think we can put our great minds together and reveal the answer."

"What are you talking about notebook boy? Just a few minutes ago you were saying how there was no room for doubt that Aoi Asahina was the killer?" Nodaka asked.

"I was bluffing," Jose replied.

"Bluffing?" Chihiro repeated.

"I wanted to see just how smart you guys could be when push came to shove, I already knew the answer but I didn't want to have to carry everyone else so I helped you guys out by making you think for yourselves. And now you're all on the same page as me, you're welcome," Jose said smugly.

"What the hell for?!" Jonathan shouted. "Are you telling me all that was just a dumb little act to confuse the hell out of us?!"

"Pretty much, yeah," Jose replied. "It was effective though, right?"

"You're insufferable," Jonathan replied.

'So I was right. It was all just a test, eh? Jose was leading me to the answer, I don't know whether I should be impressed, grateful, or angry at him for toying with me. Maybe all of the above?' I asked myself.

"Anyway, now that we've finally established Aoi Asahina isn't the killer and discovered the connection between all the other red herrings I think it's safe to assume who planted them all, wouldn't you say Maita-kun?" Jose asked.

'There's only one person I can think of who would be devious enough to use blood-colored paint to deceive us and that is…' I asked myself the same question and then replied aloud, "Monokuma, it was you wasn't it?"

"Eh? Me? I did it? Is that your final answer?" Monokuma asked.

"Eh, Monokuma planted the red herrings?!" Soshun asked.

"No not all of the red herrings, just a few of them. With the exceptions of Ikusaba-san's survival knife, Kirigiri-san's gloves, Yasuhiro-san's handkerchief, and the memorial altar. The ring, the swimsuit, the pick axe, the crystal ball, and everything else we've come across with even a trace of blood on it, he most likely planted it all. Am I right?" I asked Monokuma.

The robotic bear cackled. "Oh, this is just too perfect. You've reached my expectations of sleuthery, well done young detectives, you have made your headmaster very proud!"

"So it's true then, you used the paint in the art room to falsify evidence?" Yasuke asked.

"And it worked like a charm too. I can't believe how many of you punks fell for my trickery, watching you scurry around with all these false ideas and theories it really tickled my funny bone in a good way. Congratulations kiddies you've beaten my mini mystery but this is just a warm-up for the big one up ahead. You still have to find out who killed Hajime Hinata."

"Why of all the fiendish things, Monsieur Monokuma deserves to be punished!" Connie exclaimed.

"Let me at that damn teddy bear, I'll rip the fucking stuffing out of him!" Nodaka exclaimed.

Then Monokuma continued. "But… you know you're wrong about one or two of those things."

"What are you getting at now?" Yasuke asked.

"You're nearing the truth but if I don't clarify things now you'll probably never reach it," Monokuma replied. "So since you solved my little mini mystery I'm going to give you guys some information as a reward. You're right about the knife, the gloves, the handkerchief, and the altar. **All those objects were at the scene of the crime** around the time of the murder and **they were all brought there by Hajime and the killer**. Those are indeed clues leading to the true answer you seek. However, I'd like you to all keep in mind that just because something's unimportant to one event doesn't mean it's unimportant to another event."

"Huh?" I replied.

"And that's all she wrote, that's the last hint you'll get out of these bear's lips. I leave the rest up to you bastards to figure it out," said Monokuma with a vicious cackle.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MONOKUMA'S TESTIMONY

"What the hell, what kind of freaking clue is that?!" Yasuke shouted.

"…" Monokuma stayed silent.

"Hey I'm talking to you!" Yasuke continued to shout at Monokuma.

"…"

"Eh, what the hell?!" Yasuke exclaimed. "Say something you damn toy!"

"…"

"Great, now he's not talking at all," said Micho. "As if we weren't confused before now he just tells us that and takes a vow of silence. It really is all just a big game to him."

"It took you that long to figure that out?" Jonathan asked.

"Ugh, I'm sick of this already!" Aya exclaimed. "We've debated and debated things forever now but we don't seem to be getting any closer to reaching a conclusion. Searching for Atlantis would probably be easier than trying to figure this whole mess out!"

"Relax, the important thing is that we stay calm," I assured her. "We can't just throw in the towel because we're tired. We've gotten this far from working together and I'm sure if we keep doing that then we'll reach a conclusion and find the killer real soon. We've just got to persevere."

"He's right, let's all think about this calmly and go over what we've learned so far," said Micho. "It's best we try to eliminate any loose ends we've come across, especially all the red herrings if what Monokuma told us is true then we should test all the objects with "blood" on them to make sure."

So one by one we were each handed Izuru all the bloody pieces of evidence that we had yet to test, including the pick axe which I remembered had only traces of old blood on it when I examined it previously. Our results were as follows. The crystal ball Aya found was covered with paint however similar to Celestia Ludenberg's ring there was real blood underneath the paint which didn't glow in the luminol because the paint contaminated it. However, the pick axe glowed without any problem which probably meant that the old blood found on it was not related to Hajime's murder. Lastly, we tested the bloody gauze Yasuke found in the infirmary, which glowed even brighter than the pick axe. The surgical gauze was definitely related to our case.

"Well I guess that settles that, the pick axe and the crystal ball must have been used in one or more of the other students' suicides," Izuru explained. "They are odd choices of weapons indeed but since they're not related to the murder at all I suggest we put them aside and focus on our current case."

"Wait a second, I think it's pretty clear that the pick axe wasn't used in the murder but can we say for sure that the crystal ball wasn't the thing used to bash Haji-chan's head in?" Shiro asked.

"We've already determined that the pink on the crystal ball is paint not blood, or are you just hard of hearing?" Nodaka asked stubbornly.

"But who's to say that Monokuma didn't paint one of the true objects used in the murder to trick us? I mean, look at the crystal ball, it's been cracked around the bloody area showing that this was used to bludgeon someone. What if the killer used the crystal ball which was previously used in a suicide to knock Hajime out and then Monokuma tried to cover it up by painting the area around the blood spot and corrupting its DNA so we wouldn't be able to determine what's blood and what's paint?"

"Duh, that's because…" Nodaka tried to rebuttal but she soon found herself at a loss for words. "Huh, now that I think about it maybe that is what happened."

"No that crystal ball was not the thing used to hit Hinata-kun, but I think I do know what was used to incapacitate him," I replied. "Hoshi-san, you should know this too, you were the one who led me to it remember?"

"I did? Explain yourself, cockroach boy," the Ultimate Maid replied.

'That's easy enough, the evidence I need is that,' I thought to myself. (Ammunition needed: **Bolt blood smear** ) "I've got it!" I exclaimed. "I think Hinata-kun might have had his head bashed against one of the iron plates on the windows in classroom 5C."

"Iron plates, you mean those ones that are on all the windows in the school?" Micho asked.

"That's right, the iron plates blocking out the sunlight gave the room an even darker image to go along with what went on there. Monokuma originally locked all twenty-eight of the students in classroom 5C with a few objects to be used for murder and declared that he would not let them out until eight of them died," I explained.

"Come to think of it, this was never touched on before, but how do we know that eight of le students really did die in la classroom anyway? Perhaps Monsieur Monokuma was just lying about that challenge to begin with, no?" Connie asked.

"No, there's two pieces of evidence I came across that support everything Monokuma told us about what went on in that room," I replied. (Ammunition needed: **Body outlines**.) 'There's that and one more,' I thought to myself. ( Ammunition needed: **Memoriam list**.) "The first piece of evidence that supports Monokuma's claims is the body outlines found inside classroom 5C. There's eight of them in total showing that besides Hinata-kun's body, eight other bodies were inside that room at some point in time."

"That seems likely, besides there was much too powerful an odor in that room for only one person to have died in there. The blood and gore supports that theory," Jonathan added.

"Well what do you know, my discovery came in handy after all," said Nagito. "Maybe I'm not so worthless."

"Also there's the memoriam list written on the classroom chalkboard that reads: _Here lies the final resting place of eight beloved students and friends who gave their lives to save us. They will forever be in our hearts._ After which comes a series of names which only certain letters can be made out of, these are most likely the names of the eight students who died In classroom 5C but like I said the list was mostly erased which was probably yet another attempt by Monokuma to conceal evidence."

"That list is a complete jumble, trying to figure out the names on it would be a waste of time," Cam said.

"I agree with this," Connie replied. "My question has been answered so I shall now withdraw, carry on tres amis."

"Alright, getting back to where we were before...as I was saying the windows were sealed up with the same iron plates that are blocking all the windows now and since the students could not get out of the academy after getting out of classroom 5C I think it's safe to assume that Monokuma never took them down until we arrived and then to keep us locked in he put the iron plates back up. But one of the iron plates in classroom 5C had a blood smear on one of the plate's bolts, Hoshi-san first discovered this," I explained.

"Oh yeah, now I remember. Heh, it makes sense that I would find the perfect clue," Nodaka said smugly.

I sweatdropped. "Anyways if the crystal ball was the thing that incapacitated Hinata-kun then he would most likely just have a large knot in his forehead from impact, but instead it's a gash which makes it look like something cut away at his forehead instead. I think the killer knocked Hinata-kun into the iron plate where he collided with the plate's bolt, giving him a nasty gash, ending his struggle with the killer, and leaving behind that smear on the bolt."

"That makes sense to me," said Chihiro. "Those iron plates are very sturdy, I bet hitting one would really leave a mark."

"So it's settled then, Hinata-kun met up with the killer at the scheduled meeting time. They both decided that the other had to die and were planning to commit murder, there was a struggle for the knife and in the end the killer got the upper hand by knocking Hinata-kun into the iron plate and securing the knife where upon the killer stabbed him multiple times and then went on to cover evidence with tricks and red herrings," I explained.

"Okay now that we got the whole murder squared away all we have to do is find out who the killer is," said Soshun.

"Let's see, Hajime used Kyoko's gloves as a red herring pointing to her so I guess that puts her out," Nate explained. "The knife belonged to Mukuro, who gave it to Junko but because of where Izuru found her hairbands I guess we can rule her out. And then there's Taeko's ring and handkerchief which were both planted so that leaves her out. Um, can we eliminate anyone else?"

"Gundham Tanaka," Shiro replied. "Monokuma told us he was dead."

"Right, and Hina is out because her swimsuit was planted by Monokuma. Hmm, only five eliminated? God, with how long we've been talking I felt like it would have been a lot more," said Nate.

"No wait, there are other people who haven't been brought up yet," Beigoma replied. "The ones we found on the Death Scavenger Hunt. When I joined up with Connie-chan, Yasuke-kun, Jonathan-kun, and Kira Onii-chan we found that Ibuki Mioda the Ultimate Musician was also dead, as well as Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu the Ultimate Yakuza."

"Yes, the same goes for Kazuichi Soda la Ultima Mechanic," Connie added.

"And then there's Hiyoko Saionji and Mahiru Koizumi," Jonathan added.

"And lastly, Byakuya Togami, Toko Fukawa, and Sayaka Maizono," Yasuke added.

"Okay so that's thirteen total, and I think we've made it clear that Hajime didn't commit suicide so that's fourteen." Nate sighed and said, "But still that means we're only half way there and we're already all out of clues. What should we do now dudes?"

"This appears to be a troubling predicament we've found ourselves in. We must decide how to proceed or we'll never get anywhere," said Micho.

'She's right, we can't give up now,' I thought to myself. 'We're halfway there, just a little bit more and we'll find the truth and win the game.'

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

"Even though we've been talking all this time we've still only eliminated **half of our suspects** ," said Nate.

"There must be some clue that we haven't touched on yet. Just keep thinking," said Micho.

" **I've got nothing** , looks like we're screwed," said Cam.

"Screwed?" Chihiro seemed unnerved by Cam's choice of words.

"Aw cute, Chihiro-chan's a **pure girl** ," said Cam with a wide smile.

Chihiro looked like she was about to tear up again. "D-Don't say that."

"There has to be something, maybe we've **overlooked something** else," said Micho.

"Ugh dammit my head hurts, my powers only work their best when I try to do multiple things at once," said Jonathan. "This lateral way of thinking is **killing me**!"

"Is it possible there was more to the **Death Scavenger Hunt**?" Beigoma asked.

"No me and Maita found out the hard way when we investigated **Sayaka Maizono**. There is no ending to the game," Yasuke replied.

"Maybe we should discuss the **red herrings** again?" Aya questioned.

"I feel like we might have overlooked something in our **murder discussion** ," said Jose.

"Ugh, it's times like these that I wish I had some **visual aids** ," said Shiro.

"You would say that," Nodaka replied.

'Isn't there anything else? Maybe something we found in the Death Scavenger Hunt?' I asked myself. (Ammunition needed to absorb: **"visual aids"** , Contradiction to refute: **"I've got nothing"**.) "No, that's wrong!" I exclaimed.

BREAK!

* * *

"Yano-kun are you forgetting about what we asked you to fix?" I asked Cam.

"Fix? Oh you mean Frakencamera!" the cheerful orange-haired boy exclaimed.

"Frakencamera?" Micho repeated.

Cam smirked and presented Mahiru's camera to all of us. From what I could tell it looked completely refurbished compared to how Jonathan found it. It appeared that entrusting the camera to Cam was the right thing to do. "Dun-dun-dun! Presenting the camera of the late great Ultimate Photographer Mahiru Koizumi! Brought back from the edge of the techno abyss it has in essence been rejuvenated much like Frankenstein's monster, I present to you Frankencamera!" And then I noticed that a clear patchwork job had been done on the camera. Several parts had been replaced with ones from different models which weren't even the same color, making this ugly technological abomination. But it was still in better condition than it was when I first saw it, I guess if someone wanted to destroy they did a pretty good job of trying.

"Wait, you found Koizumi-san's camera?" Aya asked.

"That's right, I found it in the art supplies room while we were all on the Death Scavenger Hunt," answered Jonathan. "It was in pretty bad shape, I think someone took one of the hammers in there and went to town on it. I only have two guesses to who could have done it though."

I felt like I knew what Jonathan was guessing at. 'He has to mean…'

"Either it was Monokuma, destroying evidence again or more likely the killer did it," said Jonathan.

"The killer broke Mahi-chan's camera?" Shiro asked.

"It's just a theory mind you, and it might not even be true. With the evidence we've gathered so far there's no evidence to even support that our killer was anywhere in the academy except the fifth floor," Jonathan explained.

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning. 'Huh? What's this feeling? Some kind of insight? There's something about what Jonathan just said, I feel like there's a contradiction in his words that I can't quite place. But what could it be?'

"Now it's my time to shine! **Mahiru Koizumi's camera** is just the evidence we've been looking for!" Cam exclaimed as he held the camera up triumphantly over his head.

"How do you know that? Does it have some incriminating photo saved on it or something?" Nodaka asked.

Cam pulled at his shirt collar in a nervous way. "Well, eh you see. The thing is, I haven't really checked it yet."

"You haven't checked it?" Yasuke repeated.

"We got so caught up in the rush I forgot to check the SD card, so I'm well…" Cam responded nervously.

"You don't know if there's anything worthwhile on that camera after all, do you?" Nodaka replied. "Did you even check to see if there was an SD card inside the camera?"

"…" Cam replied by silently stretching out his collar again.

"So that's a no, huh?" Micho asked.

"I was so busy fixing the damn thing that I forgot to check the fruits of my labor, sue me!" Cam exclaimed.

"Consider yourself sued…for sexual harassment you ugly little troll!" Nodaka replied.

Cam looked taken back. "What?! When did I…?!"

"Enough bullshit, just check inside the damn thing already! Is there a fucking SD card or not?!" Yasuke roared in anger and annoyance.

Cam squealed in terror. "Okay! Okay! I'll check! Don't hurt me!" Cam fiddled with the camera and the pulled open a small mechanism to observe its inner workings. Then he went pale. "Um, okay so maybe there is no SD card after all, heh, heh, oh I'm so dead," he laughed nervously.

"You did not just waste our time for nothing! God, if Ya doesn't kill you I sure as hell will!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Wait a second, murder is not the answer!" Beigoma exclaimed. "Let's calm down and think about this rationally," she said in her gentle voice. And then court room grew silent. "Okay then, Mahiru Koizumi was the Ultimate Photographer, correct? So it would make sense that she would take a lot of photos whenever she had the chance, right? So maybe, just maybe, if the SD card is missing there might still be something saved on the camera's own memory." She looked to Cam. "Um, that's right, right? The only camera I've ever really used was one that ran on film. I'm kind of old fashioned, you know?"

"Yeah, we noticed that," Soshun commented.

"Hmm, my memory's not the best mind you but I seem to recall that Mahiru-chan always had two very expensive cameras on her person," Nagito suddenly said. "The one Cam-kun has is her digital one, which she hardly ever used. The one she mainly used was also one that ran on film, she used to say that the best pictures were the ones that you developed yourself. If she came into this game with both of her cameras then it makes sense that she would only use her film-based camera. She would only pull out her digital one in case anyone else wanted to take photos or else she ran out of film."

"So does that mean that there might not be anything on the camera's memory either?" Micho asked.

"So it really is useless, thanks for getting our hopes up for nothing dude," said Nate.

"Hang on, are we sure that the camera is useless?" I asked.

"Eh, but Nagito just said…" Nate started up.

"Komaeda-kun only implied that Koizumi-san's first choice wouldn't be her digital camera. I doubt there's that much film here at the academy so she would have run out eventually and if she really did take pictures as often as I hear then it was probably very soon," I explained.

"But still, the camera was really damaged when you brought it to me," said Cam. "If there was anything on here at all I doubt that it's there now."

"We won't know for sure unless we check, you got it to work again right?" Izuru asked. "Then turn it on and let's see for ourselves."

Cam nodded and then turned on the camera, making it *whirr* with a mechanical buzz as it came to life. "Now like I said, I had to replace a few of the key components with other models but I didn't touch the part that held the memory chip just in case we did find anything but I think it's probably safe to say that it didn't survive the hammer smack…" then Cam's eyes went wide, "down."

"Yano-kun, what is it? Did you see something?" I asked.

All of a sudden Cam grew a wide smile and started to snicker. He tried to hold in his laughter but it soon came barreling out at full force. "*Hahahahahahahaha!* Ugh, I can't…breathe! Make it stop! God, he really let himself go!" Cam just kept laughing and laughing, which just made us stare at him in a peculiar sense.

"What…?" Nodaka started.

"The…?" then me.

"Hell?" then Yasuke.

Chihiro grabbed the camera from the laughing Cam and then saw the humorous sight that he observed. Only she didn't laugh, she just looked confused at was on the camera. "Is that…? No it couldn't be."

"What is it Fujisaki-chan? What did you see?" Micho asked.

"Not what, whom…I guess?" She passed the camera along the circle, giving each person the camera was handed off to a peculiar shock.

And then finally it was handed to me. My eyes widened at the image on the camera and at a familiar face. Well semi-familiar. He had the same blonde haircut, and blue eyes and glasses but his face had grown a bit chubby and the rest of him looked much bigger than the other photos that I had seen him in. But he still had that same serious-looking expression and regal air about him so there was no doubt that the person I saw was, "Byakuya Togami?!" I exclaimed as I saw the photo of a fat version of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

The photo was shot from an odd angle and it appeared to be taken from a crack in an open door. The Ultimate Affluent Progeny was standing in the opposite direction and appeared to not have noticed that someone was taking his picture. But the most shocking thing about the photo was the clear weight change between this Byakuya Togami and the other Byakuya Togami that I had seen multiple photos of. But other than that, I couldn't tell them apart.

"Ultimate Affluent Progeny?!" Cam laughed. "Yeah right, more like Ultimate Affluent Gut!"

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: BYAKAUYA TOGAMI?

"This is just too weird dude!" Nate exclaimed. "Why the hell does that Byakuya guy look fat as hell all of sudden?!"

"Is it possible that he's always been like that and the other photos that we've seen of him are simply outdated?" Keiko asked.

"No, I knew Togami-san personally," said Jose, "And I know for a fact that he has never looked like that. It's the photo that must be faked."

"I don't think that's right either," I replied.

"What, you're honestly saying that fat tub of lard is really Byakuya Togami? If the real Togami-san heard you say that he'd probably kill you where you stand!" Jose exclaimed.

"But if the picture is a fake then why…" I asked my other self the same question to get my thoughts in order and then finished my question aloud, "Was the camera intentionally broken?"

"Um, well…" Jose was at a loss for words. It looked like he caught on to what I was implying.

"I'm confused, what does the camera breaking have to do with our plump Ultimate Affluent Progeny?" Aya asked.

"Think about it this way, when we found the camera it was already broken and later on when Yano-kun fixed it we discovered that there was also no SD card inside. Now isn't it odd that there was no SD card in it? I mean if that camera did belong to Mahiru Koizumi I'm sure someone as efficient as her would have always kept the card inside the camera. But what if there was something on the SD card that someone didn't want us to see?" I asked.

"Are you talking about the killer?" Sawa asked.

"Yes, the killer may have discovered some evidence leading to their identity on the camera's SD card and taken it to keep us from discovering it, and then they could have gone on to destroy the camera itself out of fear that the images had been saved to its internal memory. That photo might have been something the killer didn't intend for us to find because they couldn't expect Yano-kun to retrieve it. I think this is just the lead we need to pursue a new line of thinking," I explained.

"So you're saying Byakuya's the killer and he tried to destroy the camera so we wouldn't find out?" Nate asked.

"No that's impossible, we already told you that Byakuya Togami is dead. He can't be the killer if he's already dead," said Jonathan. "This is not _High School of the Dead_ we're talking about here, this is real life!"

"Then the photo really is a fake?" Shiro guessed.

"No, the killer wouldn't have tried to get rid of the photo if it weren't important in some way," I replied.

"Then what the hell else is there?!" Nate exclaimed.

"Let's not worry about that right now," Izuru said suddenly.

"Eh?!" Nate exclaimed.

"There's something else that's been on my mind, how the killer got his hands on all those objects," said the Ultimate Hope.

"You mean the red herrings, I thought we were done talking about those?" Soshun replied.

"Well we're not, and this concerns the camera as well mind you. The killer had to have gotten all those objects from somewhere inside the academy. I don't remember seeing any of these things in each of their rooms so where else could the killer have acquired them? Anyone care to venture a guess?"

'What's Izuru's goal here?' I asked myself. 'Does he think solving this problem first will reveal the truth about the photo? Or does he have some other goal in mind? I guess I won't know until I figure it out for myself.' My mind made up I thought over all the evidence that we had come across so far. The knife, the ring and handkerchief, the gloves, the swimsuit, the pick axe, the crystal ball, the earring, and the camera. 'Where could they all have come from? A few of them belonged to specific individuals but if what Izuru said is true then none of this stuff was inside the other students' rooms. Where then?' I couldn't figure it out.

After a few moments had passed in silence, Izuru sighed and said, "Perhaps we should take this one step at a time so you all understand. Let's focus on the items one at a time. First, let's start with the earring Maita-kun found in classroom 5C. Who did that earring belong to again?"

'That's easy enough, the earring belonged to…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Animal Breeder."

"Correct, **he referred to it as the Hellhound Earring and was never really seen without it**. Since there's no trace of blood on it, or even paint for that matter, I doubt it's a case similar to Junko Enoshima's hairbands. So where did the killer acquire it? Moving on then. What about the ugly metal ring and the handkerchief? Who did they both belong to?"

'That was…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Celestia Ludenberg AKA Taeko Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Gambler."

"Right again, and though Akasaka-chan so boldly claims that **Yasuhiro-chan would never put others above herself** I suggest we continue thinking that she is dead because the killer and Monokuma used those items to frame her. Now how about the gloves? Besides Hinata-kun, who also wore them?" Izuru asked.

'It could only be…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Those gloves were sort of like her signature feature."

"Indeed, her student profile mentioned that she wore them to hide several nasty scars on her hands that she received in her past. The profile also mentioned that **those gloves were tailored fit for her own hands** so it makes sense that she'd wear them all the time. And since Hinata-kun used them to frame her that suggest strongly that she's also dead," Izuru explained. "This one should be pretty obvious, but what about the swimsuit?"

'That belonged to…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro. It even has her name on it so it couldn't belong to anyone else."

"That's a fair assumption, her profile noted her as being a sweet and bubbly girl **who tried her hardest at everything she did and also encouraged others to do the same**. Now about the camera?"

"Don't even bother, we know it belongs to Mahiru Koizumi already," said Nodaka. "What's this all about anyway?"

"Since the maid gave the answer I'll skip Koziumi-chan and continue on, **even though her information might be of interest to a certain someone**. How about the survival knife I found?" Izuru asked.

'That knife passed hands a few times if I'm not mistaken. It was originally Mukuro's but then she gave it to…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista/Despair."

Izuru snickered. "Are you saying you think that's the only person this knife has come into contact with?"

"Eh?" I replied.

"What are you talking about now, soldier girl admitted it earlier didn't she?" Nodaka asked in a hostile tone.

And then for the first time in a long time, she spoke up. "Did…did someone other than Junko Onee-chan use it?"

We all looked to Mukuro, who it seemed had suddenly sparked back to life. She stared at Izuru, her eyes begging for answers from the Ultimate Hope. And the trickster known as the Ultimate Hope simply replied to the Ultimate Soldier with a smirk. "That knife was the weapon of yet another person's destruction before Hajime Hinata, and I'm afraid it wasn't your precious, psychotic sister. That knife was used in the suicide of one of the other students." The courtroom suddenly fell silent and an ominous air filed the air. Izuru snickered again. "Now that I've got your undivided attention I would like to take this opportunity to present a theory to the topic that's been on our minds. Where did the killer acquire their red herrings and other accoutrements? The answer is…right here!" He motioned around us and we all turned around and stared at the walls, noting the many exhibits from the Final Destination Museum and then understanding sunk into us.

'Why didn't I see it before?!' I exclaimed inwardly with newfound realization. 'It could have only been from the museum. And come to think of it…'

Flashback:

 _Nothing really seemed to be out of order for each student and the things in their sections were things you would expect them to have. Baseball gear for Leon Kuwata, merit badges and school supplies for Kiyotaka Ishimaru, kimonos and hand fans for Hiyoko Saionji, music equipment and an electric guitar for Ibuki Mioda, galge games and doujinshi for Hifumi Yamada, a set of tools for Kazuichi Soda, and so and so on. There was even a section for the Ultimate Impostor but the objects inside their case were just normal generic things that could belong to anyone, there wasn't even an outfit on their mannequin. However, I did notice that five sections of the exhibit appeared to have been_ _ **tampered with**_ _. There was either a spot that looked like something was supposed to be there in the storage cases or a missing article of clothing on the mannequins._

'Of course, the missing sections in the exhibit. They were missing from the museum because someone took them and that someone could only have been…' I asked my other self and then thought, 'The killer. It could only be the killer. They took the red herrings and other objects from here. That's the only explanation I can think of.'

AMUNITION UPDATED: MUSEUM THEFT

AMMUNITION UPDATED: IZURU'S TESTIMONY

Izuru smirked. "Seems like you all understand now, it's like I've been saying all along. Just because an object belonging to one person appears does not necessarily mean that person has anything to do with our circumstances. Yes all the objects were taken from the **Final Destination Museum** , with the exception of the **memorial altar** which I'm guessing was kept in classroom 5C until Monokuma moved it to play that accursed **Death Scavenger Hunt**."

I continued to think. 'That's why before…'

Flashback:

" _It's just a theory mind you, and it might not even be true. With the evidence we've gathered so far there's no evidence to even support that our killer was anywhere in the academy except the fifth floor," Jonathan explained._

'The killer was definitely elsewhere in the academy, not just on the fifth floor. Which might mean that some of the other things we found without paint on them, like the camera, might have also been planted by them. Which means I was wrong. Both the killer and Monokuma were each doing half the evidence planting and tampering. That explains why our conclusion was bugging me, we were on the wrong path from the get go.' I looked back at Izuru, calm and collective as always. 'And Izuru figured it out, he really is a genius.'

"Let me be clear on this before we proceed forward, our original assumption of Monokuma being the only person to plant false evidence was wrong. It seems that the killer and Monokuma acted in tandem, both hatching their own little setup schemes." Izuru exclaimed. "Which is why Monokuma made his confusing comment to us earlier."

Flashback:

 _Monokuma chuckled. "So since you solved my little mini mystery I'm going to give you guys some information as a reward. You're right about the knife, the gloves, the handkerchief, and the altar._ _ **All those objects were at the scene of the crime**_ _around the time of the murder and_ _ **they were all brought there by Hajime and the killer**_ _. Those are indeed clues leading to the true answer you seek. However, I'd like you to all keep in mind that just because something's unimportant to one event doesn't mean it's unimportant to another event."_

"'At the scene of the crime', he only clarified the objects that were found at the crime scene itself were brought by Hinata-kun and the killer. At the time I thought he was referring to himself placing the false objects around the school but I get what he really meant now. He wasn't talking about the person who placed the red herrings, he was talking about the locations themselves. Hinata-kun and the killer both brought objects to the crime scene but he didn't specify if they left any other objects around the school, just at the crime scene. It was another fiendish trap set by our beloved Mastermind," Izuru explained.

Then Izuru looked straight at Monokuma, "I thought your wording was a little weird but I never imagined that you would be so diabolical as to play mind games on this level. Lucky for us, I saw through your words immediately. You cannot fool the Ultimate Hope."

It was silent after that. Nobody said a word until, "*Hehehe* It started out really low until it soon turned into full barreling laughter. *Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah*!" Monokuma returned to life. "You haven't seen through shit! I was hoping, wishing, praying with all my little dark and twisted heart that it would reach this conclusion! Bravo, brava, encore, encore! Yes, this shall be the climax! This is where we shall stake the beginning of the end!"

"What the hell is he going on about now?" Yasuke asked.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this," said Micho.

"Ignore him, they are just the ravings of a madman," Izuru replied before looking back to Monokuma. "Now you better give us some real answers fast. You're trying my patience as it is."

"I get it you want me to give you a better hint, eh? Because the one before was crap, eh? That just totally led you around in a circle, eh? Well here's a new surprise for you. I'm going to give you the mother of all hints, I'm going to give you a hint as to who the killer is. That's right I didn't misspeak like last time, I didn't mean might be, I meant is, as in the killer definitely is…" Monokuma laughed again. "How's that for a freaking plot twist?!"

"Seriously?!" Micho exclaimed.

"Is it true?!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Don't fall for it he's obviously bluffing!" Jonathan shouted.

"You better not be fucking around with us again!" Yasuke shouted at Monokuma.

"F-For real?!" I exclaimed.

"That's right. The true identity of the killer is the person who buried Jum-P the hamster! There, there's your hint, don't tell me it wasn't a breakthrough!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"…" We were all speechless. And then suddenly all at once, "What the fuck?!" A chorus of angry outbursts echoed throughout the courtroom.

"You damn bear! That's it I don't care if I get the snot kicked out of me again, if I'm going down I going down swinging! I am going to rip your fucking head off!" Yasuke appeared to as red as a lobster at that point.

"I am going tear out your stuffing with my teeth and then cut you to pieces using Peko-sama's sword and then burn to pieces to ashes!" Nodaka screamed.

The only person who didn't seem to be unnerved as usual was Izuru. "What do you mean, I wonder?" he asked.

"You would have reached the conclusion on your own eventually but I feel like it will be more meaningful if it came from yours truly. Allow me to elaborate, though poor Jum-P the hamster has been dead for quite some time he was only put into that miniature box coffin a little while ago, and that box was playing host to something else. The key to the truth lies inside the box, don't worry it's safe to open now, I put the occupant back in his rightful resting place along with his brothers. Take a peek why don'tcha?" Monokuma pushed us to look inside the box.

"…" Shiro held the box up in his hands and looked to us as if asking what he should do with his eyes.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Izuru asked Shiro. "We don't have all day, open it up and look inside."

Shiro nodded and opened up the box. Then his eyes widened in insight and he revealed to us the contents of the box. "Hey, there's something written on the top of the box. It's been roughly engraved into the wood by something sharp so it's kind of hard to read but still pretty legible."

"Don't leave us in suspense then, what does it say?!" Nodaka exclaimed.

Shiro cleared his throat and then read aloud the contents of the mysterious message engraved on the top of the box. " _Whoever finds this message, I offer to you a warning that would be in your best interest to heed. I have a feeling my time is almost up, I can feel the despair in the air. It's thick and heavy, every time I breathe I feel like an ounce of my will to live drains from my body. The others are dead, their deaths self-inflicted, or so I thought. But I knew these people, they would never, especially not him. Which is why this whole mystery puzzled me for so long, why are we here? What did we do to deserve this horrible fate? Why do we choose death over life? These questions confounded me but now I think I finally understand. The dead live on. They live on through another medium. I know who's responsible for all this now. That person, they manipulated us one by one and corrupted us and dragged us into the pits of despair._ "

Shiro continued to read on. " _Though that person may be gone now, gone like the others, it was only to cast our doubt away from them. They are still here, watching, waiting, they've corrupted her now. She's gone even if she doesn't know it yet. I am all alone. She will find this eventually, only a matter of time. But I must stall her for as long as I can, and maybe just maybe I can bring the others back to. If that person was able to live in that most horrible way then maybe there's a chance that others can live on in the same way. I saw him after all, even though he might have been a tad different._ "

There was still a bit more. " _And to the girl I love, if you are the one who finds this and not the person controlling you, fight them, fight them with all your might. Those are my final wishes, but if this truly is all for not and you do end up killing me under that person's control then I just want you to know, I love you. I don't care who you pretended to be, it doesn't matter anymore. I love the girl who I know is still somewhere inside that web of darkness cast by that horrible person. If there is any justice in this horrible, nightmarish world at all they will burn in hell for all eternity. The weapon is the trigger to the darkness. As long as she doesn't get it that person has no power over her. She'd find it anywhere else, that person's eyes are everywhere and that person manipulates her every move. This may be the end but if that is the case then I would rather be killed by her hands than my own. I choose murder over suicide. That person will not get me!_ "

Shiro frowned. "And then after that there's a few illegible scribbles of someone trying to carve something into the box. I think the person who wrote this lost their sanity at that point."

We all stayed silent as the words carved into the box sunk into us. It was dead silent for a full minute before Izuru again broke the quiet. "Well, well, well. Yet another clue left behind by that person, it seems like that person's final wish is for us to expose the secrets of just all that went on here. I had my suspicions before but now I think I can say for certain. It appears the Mastermind was not the only person manipulating the students' actions, no actually it's more likely to say that **all these horrible acts have been the work of a group from the beginning**. Looks like that person figured everything out in their last few days on Earth and left that message with every intent of not surviving. Anyone care to guess who might have carved out that message?"

'No way. It can't be,' I thought to myself. 'But I can only think of one person, the person who wrote that message. The person who found out the truth behind this sick game and then paid the price for it. It could only be…'

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

I looked up to the large tapestries that circled the walls of the dungeon-like court room. Twenty-eight tapestries in all. And each one depicted one of the students who lost their lives to this sick game made up by the Mastermind. I looked over each one individually studying the full body forms sewn on them. They looked all most life like, each form perfectly represented their counterpart's personality. And then my eyes stopped on the tapestry of the person who I knew in my heart could be the only perpetrator of the act in question. Hajime Hinata.

* * *

A/N: And your friendly neighborhood cliffhanger appears to spread despair! Choke on it! How'd you like that ending? Yet another question to make you ponder? It should be pretty obvious who the killer is now but the students have to reach that conclusion on their own and that's going to be a bit of a challenge considering that one of the theories that they've concluded is wrong. The smart cookies out there should be able to figure out the wrong conclusion they've made about things, but the others will just have to wait and see the surprising individual who points it out. Hope you're ready for some craziness because the craziness pouring out in next chapter is going to leave you laughing hysterically, gasping in amazement, fearful for the future, and in tears at the heart-wrenching ending. Such beautiful despair! ~


	14. Prologue, Part 12

A/N: *Sigh* yet another extension. I know you all are probably getting sick of all this building suspense and want to reach the end already but I just can't help but keep the plot going. Instead of just jumping straight to the end I want to make you all experience what it's like to go through a class trial just like in the games. In the original _Danganronpa_ you are Makoto Naegi, in _Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair_ you are Hajime Hinata (and at one point Nagito Komaeda), and in my game you are Akira Maita. I just get so into the story that I have a tendency to drag things on. But I swear to you, next chapter will be the last prologue chapter. Cross my heart and hope to despair. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter as it will fill with you such despair and sadness. And in the end happiness and confidence. I plan to make this the best _Danganronpa_ game ever, all I ask for is your patience and support.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 12: The despairful truth**

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

I looked up to the large tapestries that circled the walls of the dungeon-like court room. Twenty-eight tapestries in all. And each one depicted one of the students who lost their lives to this sick game made up by the Mastermind. I looked over each one individually studying the full body forms sewn on them. They looked all most life like, each form perfectly represented their counterpart's personality. And then my eyes stopped on the tapestry of the person who I knew in my heart could be the only perpetrator of the act in question. Hajime Hinata. "It could only be you!" I exclaimed, getting the attention of the others.

"Based on the content written in the message, the person who wrote it implied that they along with a single girl were the only two people remaining in the academy. So I think that the person who carved that into the box could have only been one person. The victim of this case, Hajime Hinata," I explained my reasoning.

"B-But if that's true then what does this mean?" Micho asked in surprise. "We figured that Hinata-kun knew he was going to be murdered but…it just doesn't make sense." I figured she was referring to that one statement in the message.

Flashback:

" _This may be the end but if that is the case then I would rather be killed by her hands than my own. I choose murder over suicide. That person will not get me!"_

"'I would rather be killed by her hands than my own,'" Micho repeated the line. "It doesn't sound like he was planning to commit murder himself, it sounds more like he had already accepted his fate."

"More importantly this means we can eliminate more people, right?" Keiko asked. "I mean Mr. Hajime Hinata clearly says that the person left with him is female. This means that we can eliminate all the male suspects, right?"

"Hey yeah!" Nate exclaimed in glee. "Yes we're nearing the end now dudes!"

"Alright then considering the girls that we know for sure are dead – Mahiru Koizumi, Hiyoko Saionji, Toko Fukawa, Ibuki Mioda, Sayaka Maizono, Kyoko Kirigiri, Celestia Ludenberg, Junko Enoshima, Peko Pekoyama, and Aoi Asahina – that leaves four more girls left. Sakura Ogami, Mikan Tsumiki, Sonia Nevermind, and Akane Owari. One of those four must be our killer," Jonathan inferred.

"Alright so that means we can exclude all the other boys, right?" Aya asked. "You know, Leon Kuwata, Mondo Owada, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Hifumi Yamada, Teruteru Hanamura, and Nekomaru Nidai."

"Alright, we've only got four more to go. Our chances of survival are starting to look better," Shiro surmised.

"Yes, Azami-tan is excited hebi!" Azami exclaimed. "It's almost over hebi!"

Soshun sighed in relief. "Finally, we can relax now."

"Is it true, we're almost finished?" Chihiro asked in an excited tone. "We can go home soon?"

"It's almost over Chihiro-chan, just hang in there a little longer," Cam said as he squeezed the timid girl's hand.

"Mistress Hitomi, don't worry I shall return," Nodaka said to herself.

I chuckled in glee. 'It really is almost over. We can go home soon. I can go back to…back to...' Slowly my smile started to fade when a realization occurred. 'Hang on…where do I live again? That's weird, all of a sudden I can't remember which street I live on. I can't even remember if I live in a town house, an apartment, or what. I can't remember what my house looks like.' A new terror began to seep into my pores. 'Why can't I remember where I live? Could it be…no, no I must just be anxious. That's it, it's just anxiousness. My mind's too preoccupied with this mystery right now to think of anything else. That's all it is.' As I convinced myself that I was just being paranoid I shifted my train of thoughts back to the matter at hand. 'Okay Hajime had a relationship with a girl while he was imprisoned here in the academy. And that girl was one of our four remaining suspects, Sonia Nevermind, Sakura Ogami, Akane Owari, or Mikan Tsumiki. I just have to figure out which girl he was involved with and we'll have our answer.'

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"Okay Hajime was getting it on with **one of those four chicks**! Let's discuss which of them seems like the kind of one he'd be into," Nate said.

"Getting it on? Chicks?" Sawa repeated. "Geez, Baron-kun can you be a bit more tactful?"

Nate blushed and looked away. "Uh, right sorry."

"Let's discuss our options," Soshun suggested. "First of all there's **Mikan Tsumiki** the Ultimate Nurse."

"She was your friend right Komaeda-kun?" Aya asked uneasily, clearly still a little freaked out by Nagito's change of character a little while ago.

"Not so much friend as she was one of the few people who **tolerated my existence** so I was naturally grateful to her for that. But if you must know we did have some similarities," Nagito replied.

"Don't tell me she was bat shit crazy like you," Jonathan suggested.

"No, no, not that extreme. She did however share my sense of **masochism**. Her's was even more pronounced, apparently the poor girl was severely abused and bullied though she would never admit by whom. Every time she would make a mistake or trip on account of her clumsy personality she would start balling and **apologizing**." Then he blushed slightly and cleared his throat as if he was nervous to say something. "One time she even told me that I could do…some pretty graphic stuff to her as punishment."

" **Graphic stuff**?" Chihiro repeated Nagito's words with a state of embarrassment.

"Well he might've been involved with **Sonia Nevermind** the Ultimate Princess," Nodaka suggested. "She was blonde, foreign, cute, and pretty **ditzy** from what I heard. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that a normal Japanese male's ideal woman? But still she wouldn't have held a candle to my mistress."

"What are you implying with calling Nevermind the Japanese male's ideal woman? Are you saying that we all think alike or something?" Yasuke asked.

"Well definitely not you, your right hand's all you need, right?" Nodaka replied with a snicker.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" Yasuke shouted.

"What about **Akane Owari** , she was the Ultimate Gymnast? Some guys go for the athletic girls, right?" Micho asked.

Sawa laughed uneasily. "I doubt it would have been Owari-senpai. She wasn't in track club like Asahina-senpai was but almost everybody knew about her. If anything she was too athletic, she was always running and jumping around the school as part of her parkour training."

"But she was the Ultimate Gymnast, right? Why would she need to do parkour?" Soshun asked.

"I don't think she really had a reason, she just liked running, and fighting, and **eating definitely eating**. I don't know how he could have had a relationship with her but if he sparred with her she probably would have killed him then," Sawa said as she sweatdropped.

"But still you know there might have been a different attraction," Cam said uneasily as he blushed and pulled on his shirt collar.

"You're talking about those **huge** **hooters** she was always showing off aren't you tech boy?" Nodaka asked.

"I didn't say that!" Cam exclaimed in embarrassment. "Chihiro-chan is the only girl I need!"

Chihiro's face turned bright red and she began to whimper in an embarrassed tone. "…"

"What about Sakura Ogami?" Shiro asked. "She could've…"

"No," Jonathan cut him off.

"What, but don't you think Haji-chan maybe…?" Shiro tried to ask another question.

"God no," Jonathan cut him off again.

'Hmm the only girls remaining in our suspect pool are Sonia Nevermind, Sakura Ogami, Akane Owari, and Mikan Tsumiki. Could Hajime's girlfriend have been one of them? Given what we know that seems like the only conclusion but I can't help but feel that I'm forgetting about something,' I thought to myself. (Ammunition needed: **Love lost to despair,** Contradiction to refute: **"one of these four chicks!"**.) "No, that's wrong!" I exclaimed as I reached the conclusion.

BREAK!

* * *

"Wait a second I think we might be forgetting a girl," I suddenly said.

"We forgot somebody?" Micho asked in confusion.

"Is there any kind of brain in there at all, cockroach boy?" Nodaka asked in her usual obnoxious tone. "We determined all the female suspects are already dead besides those four. Ergo, Hinata's girlfriend and killer could only be one of those four."

"Kira Onii-chan, do you think we might have been wrong in our conclusion that someone is dead?" Beigoma asked.

"No, I think all that we've determined so far is still true but I think there might've also been someone we've overlooked. I can't explain it, it's just a gut feeling I have," I replied.

"Well gut feeling or not, if Kira Onii-chan thinks we should look into this further then you can count me in as well," Beigoma asserted.

"Thanks Kiyoshi-san," I replied with a smile.

Nodaka scoffed and then said something to herself. "Typical, her opinion is the only one that matters to you."

"What was that?" I asked, unable to make out what she said.

"Nothing, just tell us what you're damn theory is already!" Nodaka exclaimed.

"Okay, okay," I replied in an annoyed tone. "Well when I was investigating the Boring-er room AKA Hinata-kun's room in the dormitory I came across this old photo under Hinata-kun's pillow." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the torn photo to show the others.

"It's a picture of Hinata-kun outside with somebody," said Micho.

"That's the girl's uniform for Hope's Peak Academy, no doubt that it's a girl he's with," said Aya. "But what's with her face? I can't make it out."

"It seems like someone tried to scribble out the girl's face out of anger, or jealousy perhaps?" Keiko wondered.

"But what does this photo have to do with what you're talking about Akira?" Nate asked.

"Well, remember that note that I found in Hinata-kun's waste basket about his meeting with the killer? I found another one in the waste basket too. They had the same handwriting which I guess proves that the same person wrote them but the content of each message is different," I explained.

"How so?" Connie asked.

I began to explain. "Well if you'll recall the note that I found about the meeting read like this:

 _Hi Hajime, we haven't talked at all since last week, have we? Our argument was really loud, eh? I'm sure if anyone else was here with us they would have been complaining about the volume. Look, I'm really sorry about what I said before, I didn't take into account how you felt and that was wrong of me. I can't help but feel like we've been growing further and further apart. I wish things could go back to the way they used to be. But no matter how hard I wish for it I know it will never come true. But I want to fix things with you before we both end up doing something we regret. Can you meet me at the fifth floor classroom at 2:00 A.M, please? I really want to talk to you, Monokuma told me something very interesting the other day and I want to discuss it with you. You'll know what to do, I'm sure of it. Please come, I want to see you._

 _(Blank name)_."

"That note sounds a little impersonal don't you think? Like the person who wrote it didn't have any sort of connection to Hinata-kun at all," I explained and then pulled out the other note I had stashed in my pocket. "Which is in contrast to the contents of this other note:

 _Dear Hajime,_

 _It looks like there's just (blank) of us now. Where has the time gone? It's been a while since we've spoken, we barely saw you after Byakuya died. You closed yourself off from us completely, don't tell me you lost your hope? You couldn't have right? Even after the others decided it was time for them to leave as well you still came out of your room for investigations and class trials, though those didn't really matter anymore since it always ended the same way. I saw you come out of your room every now and then though to grab something from the kitchen, remember when Teruteru used to cook for us? I miss him and everyone else too, but I especially miss you. You promised remember? When you first came to Hope's Peak Academy we found each other remember? I was such a dork back then, you found me dozing off remember? And then when all of this happened you said you would stay by my side and never leave me alone, right? Makoto is worried about you and so is Kyoko, and I'm worried too. Please come outside. I want to talk to you for real, it feels like it's been ages since we've talked face to face. I miss your voice, I miss your never-yielding spirit. What happened to the Hajime Hinata that I loved? Is he still there? Please reply to me in person._

 _Love, forever and ever,_

 _(Blank name)."_

Then I passed both notes around the group and made sure that everyone saw them. "Huh, now that I see both notes I see what you mean by them being different," said Micho. "It looks like the same person wrote these according to the handwriting but while one of them mentions familiarities and love to Hinata-kun this one about the meeting is a bit more direct and cold. That and the introductions and signatures are very different. But what does this mean?" Micho asked.

"It might mean that whoever Hinata-kun did fall in love with, they ended up having a fight with him and lost all their feelings for him," Izuru theorized. "It actually mentions a fight in the note about the meeting."

"So Hajime and the killer had a bad fight before they ended up trying to murder each other, man talk about holding grudges," said Nate.

"Something real bad must have happened for them to suddenly break up like that," said Aya.

"Hinata might've cheated on her and she kicked him to the curb. If that's the case then I don't blame her for killing him," said Nodaka.

"No I don't think that's what it was about," I replied. "I think the killer might've lied to Hinata-kun about something and that's why they fought."

"The killer lied to Hinata-kun and that's why they had a fight?" Micho repeated my words in an effort to understand them.

"Then in that case it stands to reason that whoever that girl is she must have pissed him off severely," Soshun said.

"I think that's the understatement of the year," said Nate who had the torn photo of Hajime and the mystery girl at that time. "The amount of pressure he put into scratching her face out with the marker, I think that whatever she lied to him about it must have been pretty big."

"…" We all stayed silent for a few moments to contemplate what that might be.

And she was the one to break the silence again. "Could she…could she have been involved with Ultimate Despair?" We all turned to look at Mukuro.

"Sheesh, with how often you speak we ought to put a bell on you so we won't be surprised each time you open your mouth," Nodaka remarked.

Mukuro seemed a little bit unnerved by that comment. She blushed slightly and then replied, "A bell…like with a choker and everything?"

"Huh, didn't take you as a submissive," Nodaka replied.

Mukuro shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and then continued with her previous thought. "I'm just saying, what if Hinata found out about Ultimate Despair being behind this whole situation, and that his girlfriend was part of Ultimate Despair. I think that much of a lie would ruin any kind of relationship. If the person you loved found out you were a monster…somehow I can understand that feeling."

"There she goes again, with Nagito its hope and with her it's despair," said Nate. "What's the big f'ing deal about those metaphysical ideas?!"

"Doesn't matter, hope is by far greater than despair!" Nagito exclaimed. "How could you give into darkness so easy Mukuro-chan? You and your sister, for shame."

Mukuro sighed and cast a dour expression. "Perhaps it's time I explain. If Junko Onee-chan is indeed dead and our plan has failed then I doubt it matters if I tell you about our previous goal in all of this."

"Your goal?" I repeated. "You mean the goal of this Ultimate Despair?"

"Originally, Junko Onee-chan used the title of Ultimate Despair to refer to herself," Mukuro explained. "But after a while that term began to slowly form to the name of our group which like Junko Onee-chan and I despaired the world."

"What does that even mean? Why do you despair the world?" Micho asked uneasily.

"To despair is to despair," Mukuro simply explained. "From the moment Junko Onee-chan and I were born into this world we realized that no one would ever truly understand us, that no one would truly ever accept us, and that if we were to die at that exact moment no one would so much as bat an eye. So we despaired. We despaired over never being able to truly love or feel, or truly experience the meaning of life, or be normal girls and do normal things. We were born with an innate sense of darkness. It grew in us like small seeds and as the years went by that despair soon blossomed into the flowers of evil. But though we both despaired, our levels of darkness were unequal. Junko Onee-chan took pride in her emptiness, her cold heart, her perverted soul, her dark and decrepit mind, she loved the feeling that despair gave her. You might even say it was a sexual thrill."

"Y-You're kidding? That crazy bitch actually got off on despair?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Like I said, perverse, that was Junko Onee-chan's nature in pure essence. Blood, violence, gore, death; these things were like aphrodisiac to her. For the longest time she would inflict despair upon the innocent, she tortured small animals and sometimes when she was bored even me. Though she was my little sister I was not the superior in our relationship at all. I knew that my little sister had an unquenchable thirst for despair so at a young age I vowed to do my best to sate her thirst, I participated in her rituals…as gruesome as they were. And within a few years our combined despair consumed our parents and they too fell into despair and slowly lost the will to live. But also in that time I discovered the world of military combat. It made me feel safe and comforted me and my despair."

Cam cracked a joke. "Yeah because nothing says safe and comforting like an automatic rifle."

Mukuro continued her story. "That's when I joined the Fenrir Mercenary Corps and became a killer for hire. I figured if my destiny was to become a killer who despaired the world and all of humanity then I might as well become a killer with some purpose."

"Hey it could be worse," said Nate. "You could've become some crazy serial killer."

"But in our time apart Junko Onee-chan's despair grew even larger than mine, while I was gone she began to gather other followers to act in my stead, and with each follower Junko Onee-chan tapped into their psyches and let out an animalistic desire for hatred and violence. Some killed their friends and family and some corrupted them as well. You might call it brainwashing, but the dark truth is that even though they were already under Junko Onee-chan's control at that point, they were still fully aware of their actions and the consequences that would follow. None of that mattered though, because all of it was for the Ultimate Despair's sake. To fill her with even greater despair over the fact that she created such blood-thirsty monsters and unearthed so much chaos, which lead for her to revel in that despair and recruit even more followers until something was born. It was not a simple entourage, a cult, or even a terrorist group. It was a disease," Mukuro explained.

"A disease?" Aya repeated.

"Junko Onee-chan's despair infected her followers, then they infected others, and then those others infected others still until a mass of people were hooked on Junko Onee-chan's despair. In essence the Ultimate Despair became not just Junko Onee-chan but everyone she infected herself and by proxy. The Ultimate Despairs were born into the world all at once to throw it into chaos unheard of in any known history. Basically, they were born to end the world," Mukuro explained.

"E-End the world?!" I repeated in horror.

"Junko Onee-chan's logic was that if such a dark individual like herself were born into the world then the world must have on some level wished to be ended, so she made it her goal to accomplish that wish and infect the entire world with her despair. Her Despairification of Humanity Project."

"Despairification?!" Yasuke exclaimed. "Come on, that's not even a word!"

"I returned to try and once again act as the container for her overactive despair but to my dismay Junko Onee-chan had become too powerful for me to deal with, her despair overpowered me and drew me in once again to the point where I almost hanged off her every word. So I followed her plan to make the world despair, the first step of the plan being the corruption of Hope's Peak Academy. In truth most of Junko Onee-chan's followers were students of that school, my sister wanted to corrupt them and the school because of what they both stood for. Ultimate Hope."

Nobody said anything form that point on as well all hung off every word Mukuro spoke.

"The world looked up to Hope's Peak Academy and its students. Symbols of Hope ready and willing to shape the future of the world. But for Junko Onee-chan's plan to succeed there could be no future for the world, all that cumulative hope had to be destroyed and give rise to despair so she along with her followers devised something so horrible and blood-curdling that it was sure to drag the entire world into despair. The mutual killing game. Yes, that's right. The game we're participating in right now, a game all about deceiving others and trying not to be deceived, a game full of mysteries and plot twists, a game where it's every man for himself. King of the caste, a zero-sum game, call it whatever you want, the point is that you can only escape by killing one of your friends."

"Why…why would you force young master Fuyuhiko and Peko-sama to play such an awful game?!" Nodaka shouted.

"The point of the game has to do with the things all around the school…" Mukuro replied.

'The things all around the school?' I repeated her words in my mind. 'Could she mean…' I asked my other self for advice on the subject and then he offered me this. "You're talking about the security cameras, right Ikusaba-san?"

"That is correct, you see not only is the Mastermind observing us through those cameras but the outside world is as well," Mukuro said shockingly, getting reactions out of all of us.

"What…?!" I exclaimed.

"The outside world is watching us?!" Micho exclaimed.

"Y-you're kidding?! We're on TV right now?!" Nate exclaimed as he pulled on his hair in disbelief.

"T-that's ridiculous, if somebody was watching us compete in this stupid game they would've come to help us already! We've been here for hours after all!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Monokuma suddenly let out that spine-chilling cackle of his. "Are you sure about that? Are you sure someone would come to rescue you?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?! Of course I'm sure!" Jonathan replied.

The Keiko spoke up. "He's right, surely in this type of situation the police would come and…"

"The police?!" Monokuma exclaimed and then chuckled in reply. "What are you talking about, the police don't exist anymore you know?"

"Eh?" Keiko replied in confusion.

"He's just saying dumb shit to screw with us again! You'll have to think better than that you Masteridiot!" Jonathan shouted at Monokuma.

"Again with this?! Why can't you just butt out, can't you see no one wants to hear from you?!" Yasuke shouted at Monokuma as well.

"Sorry, I know when I'm not wanted. I'll shut up now. But just one more question, if you please? What year do you think this is?" Monokuma asked.

"Eh?" I replied in confusion. "What kind of question is that? It's 2015, duh."

Monokuma chuckled again. "You might want to add about seven more years to that number Akira-kun."

"What?" I replied.

"That's right it's the year 2022!" Monokuma exclaimed in glee.

Micho gasped. "2022? What? How? Why?"

"You can't be serious hebi?!" Azami exclaimed.

"I-is he for real?!" Shiro asked in fear.

"No that, that can't be true. Monsieur Monokuma is definitely lying, it is just another of le Mastermind's cruel jokes," Connie assured us. "That is la truth, no?" she then added uneasily.

"Of course he's lying, don't tell me you idiots actually believe that shit! No way it's 2022!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"You don't just lose seven years, it's a total load of crap!" Yasuke also exclaimed.

"I can assure you of one thing and that is that I am a beary honest bear," said Monokuma. "Besides the occasional little white one, I never tell any lies. But this one doesn't qualify as one of those lies don't you think? Why would you deliberately lie about what year it was? That's mean. I speak only the truth. Today is October 23, 2022. Don't question the date!"

"There's no way…there's no way…no way…no way," Sawa repeated as she began to nervously shake.

"You lie, it can't be 2022!" Chihiro exclaimed through her tears.

"Stop lying already! You're making Chihiro-chan cry!" Cam exclaimed.

"I will not believe it, no way in hell that's true!" Soshun exclaimed. "No way I've slacked off for seven years and haven't noticed dammit!"

Jose looked through his notebook. "Huh, so I've been using the wrong date all this time?"

"It looks like the Mastermind does have a few more surprises in store, how interesting," said Izuru.

"A discovery like this does indeed fill me with despair," said Nagito as he shook with fear. "Luckily my hope will not die out that easily. I hereby embrace the new year!" he exclaimed.

"Dudes, don't tell me you're seriously buying this bull?!" Nate exclaimed.

Beigoma began to cry as well. "I'm scared, hold me Kira Onii-chan!" she exclaimed as she stuck out her arms in my direction.

"Don't you dare!" Nodaka shouted in my direction. Then she turned to Beigoma and shouted. "Stop crying you baby, he's lying and you're falling for his dumb tricks like an idiot!"

Beigoma continued to cry. "I c-can't stop!" she exclaimed. "I'm too sc-scared!"

I didn't notice either girl's banter though. I was too busy with my own thoughts. 'No way?! It's 2022?! How is that even possible?! It can't be true! I know for a fact that I woke up this morning and it was 2015! I even checked the calendar in my room like I do every day! And now, seven years have passed?! I know for a fact that it can't be true, so why am I even considering it?! It's a joke, just a bad joke, just a really, really bad joke!' Then I thought about all the other worldly sights I had seen that day. A bomb shelter fitted school, a robotic and malicious bear controlled by some unknown puppeteer hiding behind cameras, several dead bodies. All of it seemed so unreal, and yet all of it was real. So who was I to completely dismiss the possibility that yet another unbelievable thing had occurred without me knowing?

Then she shattered that last bit of reality we were holding onto. "I'm afraid it's all true." We all looked to Mukuro and were ready to dismiss anything else she told us as lies but then she got back our attention. "After Ultimate Despair grew to a sufficient size we took over Hope's Peak Academy and remodeled it to suit our purposes. Then we initiated the mutual killing game, twenty-seven Hope's Peak Academy students were selected at random and the last spot was given to the headmaster's daughter, Kyoko Kirigiri, because Junko Onee-chan believed it would fill the headmaster with unbelievable despair. Then the selected students were placed in the remodeled Hope's Peak Academy and were given the choice to live in the academy until the day they died or to commit murder and return to the outside world once again. This was six years ago."

"But that can't be true, we all just got here today. If something bad like that happened Hope's Peak Academy would have definitely had to shut down, right?" I replied, trying to convince myself that Mukuro's insane notion could not be true.

"You're right, the academy did shut down. But not because of that incident, it was because of an incident that happened a year before that one, in 2015. An incident in which twenty Hope's Peak Academy students suddenly vanished into thin air. They all just disappeared without a trace. The police and community exhausted leads trying to find out what happened to them but no evidence was ever found. But the truth is that those students were abducted by Ultimate Despair to further their goals. The abduction happened on October 23, 2015 and those twenty students were never heard from again."

"W-what?" Micho replied. "Y-You c-can't be serious? Are you sa-saying the twenty st-students who disappeared, that was us?!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Shiro exclaimed.

"You can't be serious?!" Aya exclaimed.

"No way that's true, that's like the plot of some obscure anime!" Jonathan shouted.

"It is the truth, I know because I was one of the ones who was abducted. I was not allowed to see the light of day for seven years as well. The only reason I remember and you guys don't is because I am an Ultimate Despair so they didn't erase my memories," Mukuro explained.

"You've got to be kidding, now you're talking about erasing memories?!" Nodaka shouted. "This isn't science fiction, there's no way that any of this is true!"

"But I'm telling you it is, it is the truth, and the only way we're ever going to get anywhere is if you accept it as such," Mukuro implored us to believe her ludicrous story.

"How can you just ask us to accept something as ludicrous as that?!" Nate exclaimed.

Azami plugged up her cat ears with her fingers to block out Mukuro's lies. "La, la, la, la hebi! Azami-tan's not listening hebi! Shimi-chan's lies can't get through hebi!"

"I'm telling you the truth, I swear!" Mukuro exclaimed in defense.

"Truth?! *Pfft*, you haven't been telling us the truth from the start!" Nodaka exclaimed. "It's just one lie after another with you! Lies! Lies! Lies! I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" It looked like the Ultimate Maid was on the verge of tears as well.

Jose looked a little unhinged at that moment as well. "I…I have to admit. The absence of time I was willing to let slide because that's actually a common cliché in mystery novels. But now you're saying that our memories have been erased and that's why our concept of time is so wonky? That sounds a little too farfetched."

"But it's the truth and the only way that we're going to solve this mystery and survive is if you accept it!" Mukuro exclaimed in annoyance.

"Accept what?!" Jonathan shouted in annoyance as well. "All those bullshit claims?! Saying you, your sister, and your wannabe terrorist group are crazy idiots is all I'll accept thank you very much!"

"And all that stuff about the police being gone and no one coming to rescue us?! I will not believe Mr. Monokuma or Ms. Mukuro Ikusaba, both of you are liars!" Keiko exclaimed in defiance.

"I want to go home! I want to go home!" Chihiro cried. "Daddy save me!"

Cam did his best to comfort Chihiro by holding her close to him. "Chihiro-chan," he said softly.

Monokuma cackled again. "Yes, now you see this is the climax I was waiting for! The look on your stupid faces when you realize the truth! It's fucking awesome! This is why scripted TV pales in comparison to reality TV! The drama, the comedy, the beautiful despair, you can't write this! Everybody wave to the cameras and say hi to the audience, that's about as close as you're going to get to seeing anybody ever again! Almost everyone in the world out there is now filled with despair because of the previous mutual killing game, the Killing School Life! It received such high reviews in the despair and mystery category that a sequel was immediately scheduled to come out!"

"I have no idea what the hell he's talking about anymore dude!" Nate shouted as he started pulling at his hair.

"Simple, watching your despair is everybody in the world's new favorite pastime! The real-life consequences reality of the mutual killing game fills everyone with oodles of despair, seeing kids whack each other off is heavenly and has made the world come just as perverse for despair as Lady Junko once was! It was so heavenly that she gave into despair as well and offed herself! Don't you see, my despair has risen above the previous Mastermind's, I'm stronger than Lady Junko ever was! Which is why I took over the mutual killing game and made it even better! I know exactly what the public wants! More thrills, chills, and kills! They eat this shit up with a perverted smile on their faces!"

"Stop it! Just stop it please!" Sawa looked like she was about to break down and start crying.

"I won't believe it! I won't believe it!" Shiro tried to exclaim assertively.

Everybody started to tear up, even the strong people in the room were starting to break down. Even me, I was still holding on to the firm belief that it was all just a big fat lie. That this overwhelming despair couldn't be real, even though deep down in my heart I was second guessing myself. And then it all just bubbled to the surface. "Is…is that why they killed themselves?" I asked. Everyone suddenly went silent and my voice rose above the others. I looked to Monokuma and repeated my question. "Is that why the other students killed themselves?"

Monokuma chuckled. "Yep, in a nutshell. It took a while for them to accept their hopelessness too but after a while of wearing on their souls it sunk in. Nagito-kun was right in a way, but the students didn't kill themselves over hope. Nope, it was despair. Black, gigantic, beautiful despair. They realized the utter hopelessness of clinging to life. The world outside the walls of the academy had betrayed them and left them to die, and the only way to leave this horrible place was by killing the few people who understood what they were going through, their true friends. What to do? What to do? Eventually they settled on a way to leave without hurting the few people who hadn't abandoned them, killing themselves. It's not as much despair as murdering your friends mind you but still despairingly wonderful none the less. They lived her for six years before each and every one of them cracked under the pressure and died. The killer taking the initiative and actually showing the gall to murder one of their friends. The audience loved it! A second season was immediately demanded! So in step you guys, the second picks for the new mutual killing game. The Killing Despairadise!"

"Killing Despairadise?!" I exclaimed in a horrified tone.

"I don't want to do this!" Sawa screamed. "Let us out of here! Let us out right now!"

"Why bother? No one cares whether any of you live or die anymore, sure they might've cared when you all suddenly went missing but during those seven years a big change has happened to world. The line of morality has become blurred beyond recognition. Everyone in the outside world now lives for despair, they're watching your terrified expressions right now and laughing their asses off. In this era, despair has become king!"

"No way is everyone as fucked up in the head as you?!" Yasuke shouted.

"Oh but they are, violence, gore, and despair have become the key principles of society. Everybody's watching you guys right now, just waiting to see you overcome this obstacle and get on with the mutual killing. And here's another little interesting tidbit, unlike the other students we didn't select you guys at random, nope several individuals asked for you guys specifically to be involved in a mutual killing game. They were looking forward to seeing you wallow in bottomless despair. If anything you could call them you creators. The creators of your hopeless situation!"

"This doesn't make any sense! Everybody wants us to kill each other?!" Micho exclaimed, practically in tears.

"Don't tell me you're starting to buy it now?! Don't give in idiot, it's just another trap! If people were really watching through those damn cameras they would have at least tried to save us!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Monokuma sighed in exasperation. "Ugh, how many times do I have to say it till it sinks in?! NOBODY – GIVES – A – SHIT!" the robotic bear shouted. "The outside world is rooting for you to solve this mystery right now so you can get on with your mutual killing game! They're dying to see the Killing Despairadise in action! What are you waiting for now that you're so close to the truth?! Solve the damn mystery already! Figure out who the damn killer is! Akira-kun was about to guess who it was and there's no doubt in my little diabolical bear brain that it would have been correct with a few more questions answered! Accept your situation, you were kidnapped and have lost seven years of memories! The world that you remember is gone! If your friends and family aren't already dead then they've been infected with despair and don't care what happens to you anymore! Face it, you're all alone! You should save your own skins and not give a shit about others because one way or another you're going to die! The only question is who will commit murder first?!"

"Stop it!" Beigoma screamed as she covered her face with her hat.

"Enough already!" Nate exclaimed.

"Azami-tan doesn't want to hear anymore hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"So this is the Mastermind's plan to make us fall into despair, eh? As expected it's not working on me but I wonder how long the others can last?" Izuru asked himself.

"The despair in the air is almost enough to literally choke on. Need hope desperately, if we conquer this despair just imagine the hope it could create. Let me see it, just accept it already and let me bear witness to the creation of that glorious hope!" Nagito exclaimed as his eyes turned back into that mixture of green and black.

"I know it's a lot to handle but you don't have a choice!" Mukuro shouted. "If you want to live then you have to swallow this despair whole!"

'What do we do?' I asked myself. 'What do we do? What the hell are we supposed to do?' And then it began, we all began to despair.

"This is insane, I'm not buying any of it you hear me?!" Yasuke shouted. "We've all been missing for seven years?! Give me a fucking break! This is all nonsense, there's no way a group led by a deranged high school girl could have so much power that they're able to take over a school and turn it into some fucked up fortress of murder! It's total bullshit!"

'Of course, what Yasuke's saying makes total sense. Saying that some kind of crazy terrorist group started by high schoolers that horrible things solely for the sake of feeling despair, it's pure insanity. But what's this feeling? I think I have information to prove him wrong. But do I even want to prove Yasuke wrong?' I asked myself.

"More importantly, I thought we were talking about Hinata's murder?" Yasuke asked. "None of this other crazy shit matters! Let's just go back to what we already know, Hinata and all the other students are dead except for one. Let's go back to trying to figure out who that is and worry about motives later. Now Maita what were you saying before about this girl Hinata had a relationship with?" he asked me.

I was in deep thought at that moment and didn't respond. "…"

"Maita?" Yasuke called out to me.

"I…I don't think we can just ignore what Ikusaba-san and Monokuma are telling us," I said uneasily.

"What?!" Yasuke exclaimed. "Don't tell me you actually believe that nonsense about us being kidnapped having our memories us erased?!"

"Seriously Aki?!" Jonathan exclaimed. "I thought you were smarter than that!"

"I know that it all sounds ridiculous, but when I think back upon all the other strange things that we've encountered today I just can't help but wonder if there's any truth to what the two of them are saying," I said.

"I agree, as a matter of fact I believe we already talked about this before, didn't we?" Izuru asked.

"What the hell are you talking about we never discussed anything about sci-fi BS like mind erasing?!" Yasuke shouted in reply.

"That's not what I'm talking about, I'm talking about our discussion about the academy," Izuru replied.

"What?" Yasuke replied.

'I get what Izuru's saying, we did talk about this earlier. What was that evidence again?' I asked myself. (Ammunition needed: **Izuru's testimony** ). "That's it!" I exclaimed. "We did talk about it earlier, remember? Kamakura-kun explained it to us."

Flashback:

" _You all are wondering why I chose to check the biology room first, right? Simple. It was the one place that stuck out_ because _as Matsuda-kun specified, there is no biology lab in the main school building, or at least that should have been the case. Which brings me to my next point, we've been assuming that the school changed when we all got knocked out but the truth is that I think it was already different even before that."_

" _How…? How can that be possible?" I asked in reply._

" _Actually, that's the one thing I'm not really sure about," Izuru replied. We all went silent for a few moments after that as fear slowly crept into our minds and bodies._

"We never did find the answer to that big question. Throughout the investigation we've seen tons of things that shouldn't belong in the main school according to you guys. The video recording room and the security cameras, the dormitory area, the reinforced bomb shelter entrance hall, and…you should remember this one especially Matsuda-kun…the biology lab. You in fact said that the biology lab should be in the science building along with your neurology department."

Yasuke's eyes widened in realization and horror. "No, you're not saying…no, th-that's impossible. They could've just added that biology lab without me noticing. Like I said, I don't venture out of the science building that much. Remember, I didn't even know that we had a music room inside the main building?" Yasuke said this in a joking and uneasy tone as a happy-go-lucky smile that didn't really suit him spread across his face. It was like he was trying to convince himself of that explanation which sounded rational but in this irrational world it seemed highly unconvincing, and I think Yasuke knew that.

I didn't want to press any farther but I couldn't stop. "But if that's true, then why make it look like a morgue?"

"…" Yasuke looked away at that point.

I continued on. "If it was just a regular biology lab that might've been the case but it wasn't. According to Kamakura-kun it was modeled after a morgue." Then a thought occurred to me. "Hey, Monokuma were the bodies of the students ever placed inside the morgue? I mean, that would've been the only use for that room, right?"

"An astute observation," Monokuma replied. "And just within my realm to answer. Yes, the bodies of the students were stored in the morgue for a long period of time. The students were here for six years after all, if they had been in the final destination room for that long then they would have just been skeletons, which are still despairful but not as despairful as rotting corpses. Before you guys arrived I switched the hiding places and left the bodies in that dry, cramped room to rot away. Just thinking about the looks you would get when you found them like that made me giggle in glee!"

"So if Ikusaba-chan's story about Ultimate Despair remodeling the academy for the sake of this Killing School Life is true, then maybe…" Micho struggled to find her words.

Then Jonathan finished her thought. "Maybe everything else she and Monokuma said is true."

It was a few minutes before anyone said anything after that. The despair in the air at that point was almost nauseous. We each tried desperately to cling to any fabric of reality we had left but it seemed futile. Until she spoke up.

"I'll admit that what you say might be true about us being kidnapped and having our memories taken away, but I will not accept what you say about the outside world!" Nodaka exclaimed with a new found passion.

"Come again?" Monokuma replied playfully.

"I will not believe it! That everyone's simply given up?! Given up on the will to live?! Fallen so deeply in despair that they've become as sick and twisted as the person controlling you?! Lies! All lies!" she shouted at Monokuma as tears began to trickle down her face.

"H-Hoshi-san…?" I said.

"What the hell's the matter with you people?! How can you accept his words so easily?! Help has to be coming! Someone has to be coming to rescue us! Nobody would just leave us here to die!" the Ultimate Maid shouted at the rest of us. "You're all just cowards! Cowards to afraid to stand up and not let the darkness overcome you! If you trust in everything this monster says then you really will fall into despair!" Then she pointed at Yasuke. "You especially, you dirty manga otaku!" Nodaka shouted.

"M-Me?" Yasuke replied.

"You were the one who said we had to work together to fight against Monokuma and the Mastermind! You said you hated people who doubt themselves, well take a look in the fucking mirror because you're beginning to doubt yourself too!"

"…" Yasuke remained silent, knowing that she was right.

"But I will not give up! I admit this place could possibly be a hell created by Ultimate Despair! I admit that young master Fuyuhiko and Peko-sama are dead! I admit that it might be possible for us to have lost our memories and we've really been gone for seven years! But I will not believe that the outside world has become as sick and perverse as that monster behind the cameras! The outside world is what we want to get back to, right?! It's why we're fighting, right?! Saying our friends and families are either dead or part of Ultimate Despair?! The Kuzuryuu clan may not be the nicest of people but they value honor among anything else, they would never ever do anything as horrible as this! My mistress shall become the head of the clan someday and she shall bring about an era of peace and prosperity and unite all the separate clans into one unified sect! My dream is to help her accomplish her dream, to stay by her side through thick and thin! Because even more than my mistress…she's my best friend! I will make it back home so I can be by her side yet again!"

Nodaka's words seemed hopeful, but I could tell she was struggling with the despair more than any of us. And then, like a flash of lightning, he swooped in and crushed her spirits into dust.

Monokuma cackled louder than ever before. "I've never seen someone try to honor the dead so much before!"

"Eh?" Nodaka replied.

Monokuma cupped his hands to his mouth. "Do you want to know a secret little maid? Peko-chan and Fuyuhiko-kun aren't the only people you know who are dead."

My eyes widened as I caught on quickly to what he was implying. "No don't…" I said.

"She's dead too. The other Kuzuryuu. The Ultimate Little Sister, Hitomi Kuzuryuu-chan. She died even before Fuyuhiko-kun died," Monokuma continued on even though I was sure he heard my words.

Nodaka was silent. And then she scoffed. "I said I wasn't going to believe any more of your lies. How dare you? How dare you?! How dare you say such an ugly lie?!" she screamed in anger.

"I speak only the truth," Monokuma replied. "Fuyuhiko-kun, Peko-chan, Hitomi-chan, and the rest of the Kuzuryuu clan. They didn't stick around long enough to even observe this beautiful world of despair that's been created. When Fuyuhiko-kun and Peko-chan were wrapped up into the Killing School Life the Kuzuryuu clan counterattacked…a counterattack which was then crushed by Ultimate Despair. The Kuzuryuu clan may be strong in power and numbers, but nothing even comes close to Ultimate Despair. We are everywhere. We are everyone. Just like despair we spread and spread like a disease. But hey, if you don't believe me why don't you ask the others? What I'm saying isn't news to them."

Nodaka calmed down and looked at each of us until her gaze finally fell on me. "You always have an answer. I know the truth already just tell me you know it too. What he's saying, none of it's true. None of its true right?"

"…" I looked away.

"Right?" she implored.

"…" again I was silent.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked in an uneasy tone.

"…"

"Please, come on talk to me. Say something will you?" Her voice was sweet but her word were bitter.

"…"

"You idiot, don't ignore me!" she shouted. "I hate it when you don't talk, you haven't changed at all! Just please say something!" She cried and cried.

I could see that my prolonging the inevitable was just making it worse. I didn't want to see her cry, but I also didn't want to break her heart.

"Please. Please I'm begging you coc…Akira please talk to me." It was the first time she said my name. A bittersweet memory. "Please, if I hear it from you then I might be alright. If I die knowing the truth then I'll still be happy. But that's only a 50-50 chance, right? So just tell me…tell me that none of what he's saying is true. Please tell me that."

I looked her straight in the eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. I can't do that."

Nodaka tensed up and then shut her eyes for a second to stop some of her tears from coming out. Then when she opened them I could see the sadness in her eyes. Those beautiful chartreuse eyes of hers were so damp. She gave me a small smile, a sad one but none the less a smile. "Thank you, it feels a little less painful coming from you. I won't be able to hold back for long so could you just tell me how you found out?" she asked in a quiet tone.

My heart ached. '…evidence…?' I asked my other self to pick it out for me, I couldn't be bothered. (Ammunition needed: **Fuyuhiko's dying message** ). "While the other and I were on the Death Scavenger Hunt, one of the clues we encountered was a DVD inside the AV room, and on the DVD there was a recorded video of Kuzuryuu-kun. In the video he told us how Pekoyama-san sacrificed herself for him and the others, and how Koizumi-san took her own life."

"Why her?" Nodaka simply asked.

"Apparently he felt guilty for her and Pekoyama-san's deaths." I sighed again and said, "Hoshi-san, did you know Koizumi-san more than you let on? Because according to Kuzuryuu-kun, his sister bulled Koizumi-san, very badly in fact."

She stayed quiet at first but then, "She didn't mean anything by it. They were in the same photography club in middle school, Mistress Hitomi was always jealous of Koizumi because her photos couldn't hold a candle to the Ultimate Photographer's. Sometimes though she did go a little too far, I guess I was partly at fault for not correcting her. Is that why Koizumi killed herself?"

"I don't think that was it. I think it was partially out of guilt," I replied.

"Guilt?" Nodaka repeated.

"Do you know Sato Amari?" I asked.

"That was Koizumi's best friend," Nodaka replied. "The two of them were close to Tsumiki, Mioda, and Saionji too. But the two of them were especially close. They did practically everything together. Amari would often try to keep Mistress Hitomi from bullying Koizumi and then I would end up getting involved and I'd say awful things to them along with Mistress Hitomi." She sighed and then said, "I guess I was just enabling her, huh? What did young master Fuyuhiko say about Amari exactly?"

I sighed and then said, "One afternoon apparently Amari-san confronted Kuzuryuu-san about her bullying of Koizumi-san. She was trying to get her to just leave her friend alone and apparently Kuzuryuu-san vehemently denied that she had done anything wrong and things got physical and well…"

"Amari killed her, eh?" she asked. She folded her arms and then looked down at the floor. Her tears started to stream down her cheeks. "I can't really blame her, if anyone bullied Mistress Hitomi I wouldn't even hesitate. So when you say guilt, did Koizumi find out?"

"Yeah, but she didn't tell anyone. That's why her guilt remained, she didn't want to turn on her best friend. But Amari-san didn't last long after that, Kuzuryuu-kun found out what Amari-san did to his little sister and then out of anger he bashed her head in with a baseball bat. But that guilt ate him alive and after Koizumi-san died he couldn't take the cumulative guilt that he felt for the four girls' deaths and then the video ended with him…" I could finish the statement, not after seeing it happen with my own eyes.

"I see…and did he ever mention me in the video?" Nodaka asked.

"No, sorry he didn't," I replied.

I think that made her feel even worse. "I see…thank you for telling me Akira," she said in a quiet tone. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She brought her hands to her face and then she began to let it all out. The sounds of her weeping bounced off the walls of the dungeon-like courtroom. It looks like that meant she didn't want to continue. I couldn't blame her though, everyone was starting to feel that way. Even me.

"No more…" Aya frowned. "No more…" she repeated. The Ultimate Marine Biologist soon began to shake profusely and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I…I don't want to do this anymore…I don't want to keep talking about such awful things anymore," she whispered.

"…" I stayed silent.

"Murder. Suicide. So much blood, so much death. Why? Why do we have to be put through this endless torture?" Aya asked. Her tears began to flow at full force and her eyes quickly turned soggy and red. "*Hic, hic* I don't want to do this…anymore *hic*, I…I…just want this to end!" She started to cry profusely and then brought her hands up to cover her face, making her drop the crystal ball she was holding onto.

The crystal ball rolled on the floor until it found its way to Soshun, who looked really crestfallen. He picked up the spherical object and held it in his hands. "…" The Ultimate Student Council President remained quiet.

"Kisaragi-san?" Chihiro called out to Aya but the marine biologist wouldn't respond. Aya was just crying too much. And then Chihiro's eyes started to water as well. "Please stop crying, you're…you're…you're going to make me cry too." But no sooner than the Ultimate Programmer said it, hordes of tears began to swell up in her eyes. "I…I can't help it!" she exclaimed. "I *hic* want to stop too!"

Cam did his best to comfort Chihiro by puller her into his arms and letting her cry into his shirt. "Chihiro-chan don't cry, you're too cute to cry…" he whispered. He almost looked like he was on the verge of tears as well.

"All of this…we have to go through all of this and then still go through more?" Nate asked. He started frantically thrashing around. He dropped the pick axe he was holding and let it fall to floor. Then he pulled at his hair and shouted, "I can't take it! I can't take it anymore dude! Let us out of here right now!" he shouted at no one in particular.

Azami started crying cartoonish waterfall-like tears. "Azami-tan too hebi! Azami-tan wants her momma hebi!"

Soshun grit his teeth and I noticed the pressure he was placing on the crystal ball seemed to tighten. "Grrrr…" He started growling very softly and I could see his eyes starting to flare up.

"We're never going to get out of here are we?" Shiro asked in a downtrodden way. "We're all going to die here, aren't we?"

"Maybe…" Micho started to say something but then she paused. Then she sighed and started up again, "Maybe we should just give up."

"Eh?!" I was shocked, never did I think I would hear something like that coming out of her mouth. "Auruka-san? Wh-What the hell are you saying?!" I exclaimed. "After coming this far you just want to give up?!"

"I don't know…" she shook her head profusely and tears began to swell up in her eyes as well. "I don't know what to think!" she shouted back at me. Her tears began to stain her sweater. "I *hic* don't know what to do. I've…I've never felt *hic* this helpless before. I don't even know *hic* where to begin. I can't figure out any of this *hic* for the life of me. I have no idea who killed Hinata-kun *hic*. I have no idea how to handle any of this information we've been given. We've missing for even years? People really *hic* want us to kill each other? For the first time in my life, I can't think at all. I don't know what to do at all!"

"A-Auruka-san?" Even the Ultimate Defense Attorney was beginning to feel helpless, the restlessness, heartache, and overwhelming fear was slowly eating away us. It was noticeable on almost everyone's faces. Yasuke began gnawing on his fingers as a panic-stricken gaze took over his eyes. Keiko was holding Aya close and letting her cry out her tears, but the elder girl herself looked like she was also on the verge of tears. Jonathan was hyperventilating and looked like he was about to have a panic attack, I couldn't tell if it was from anger or fear. Sawa was completely morose with a look of fear in her eyes. Beigoma was shaking like a leaf and fidgeting with her sun hat. Shiro was panic-stricken and as still as a statue. Connie seemed to be silently singing a song to calm her nerves. Even Jose looked a little bit unnerved, he was sweating bullets and mindlessly flipping through the pages of his notebook. It looked like he didn't understand what was going on at all either and looking for clues in his memory notebook. Even me, I was also starting to feel the overwhelming hopeless sink in.

'I…I think I know the answer. I think I know who killed Hajime but I just…I just can't focus. Why…what's the point of all this?' I asked myself. 'What else is there? What else is at play here?' I searched my thoughts for anything else that could help but my mind had gone completely blank. 'What if I…what if I never figure it out? What if we really can't find Hajime's killer? It seems impossible, we've narrowed down the list to only a few people but I still don't understand. I don't understand the crime itself, it just doesn't seem to make any sense. But why is that? Why am I thinking that way? No, a better question is why did all of this happen in the first place? We're high school students, we should be worried about relationship troubles and exams and just school life in general. We shouldn't be here. We shouldn't be here in this situation that doesn't make any goddamn sense! Why did those kids die? What the hell happened? I…I can't think of anything at all!'

Izuru, Nagito, and Mukuro looked perfectly calm though. None of them said a word as they patiently waited for us to come to our senses. The Ultimate Hope and the boy who loved hope. Neither of them seemed touched by this despair, this overwhelming, mind-numbing, bloodcurdling despair. Then there was Mukuro, the girl who was so used to despair that this mind-numbing feeling couldn't possibly affect her. There was no other word to describe this situation. It was pure unadulterated despair. Despair of the blackest form, of the deepest malice, of the worst nightmares. We had lost seven years. We were apparently kidnapped and had our memories taken away from us. It was the year 2022, could that really be true?! Hajime and the others died. Everyone here was going to die. I was going to die. People were watching us and they didn't care if we lived or died? No, they wanted us to kill each other. That was what they were waiting patiently for. We were going to die one way or another. It was inevitable. It was apparently what everyone in the outside world was waiting for.

'I don't want to die. If we don't solve this mystery then we will die here that has been made very apparent,' I thought to myself. 'But then even if we get out of here I'll be put into a situation where I will be forced to kill these people. That's even worse! I don't want anyone to die!' I was literally between a rock and a hard place. I didn't know what to do. It was like I had two choices of how to proceed the story in front of my head. But I couldn't make the decision. My other self, who always answered these kinds of problems was even having trouble making a decision. 'Should I give up on trying to find the killer and die along with everyone else to finally end this madness? Or should I keep going through this darkness and find out things I don't want to learn and be forced to either murder or suspect these people that I had grown to think of as friends?' It was an impossible decision. A decision no person should ever have to make. Yet in this "game" that made absolutely no sense. It was like it had been reduced to a simple multiple choice question. Two choices were available: I could either throw in the towel and die with my friends, or proceed forward into this crazy world of murder and suspicion that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with.

"Hmm, it appears you're all deciding whether or not you should quit the game before it's even really begun. That's fine if you want to quit, I guess. I'll just find some more contestants to take your places. No big deal. After all you guys have got a pretty hefty plate of despair already, I'm sure people would be fine with this ending. It's just going to be a real short game, that's all," said Monokuma. "But people are still going to die and I have a different execution planned for each one of you so as long as the masses get to see that it should fill their despair lust!"

'I've decided. I don't want to do this anymore. I'll die here alongside my friends!' I exclaimed inwardly. "I…I don't want to die." I gritted my teeth and the balled up my fist. "But I also don't want to go along with this fucked up game anymore so…" I sighed, "Maybe we should just quit. I mean if what Monokuma is saying is true, then nobody really cares if we live or die anyway. If the world really is gone, then what's left to go back to anyway?" I asked rhetorically as tears started to well up. "If going home means that I have to kill someone, then I'd rather die with you guys by my side!"

Then Mich followed my suit. "Me too, I don't want to kill anyone!"

"My Mistress is gone, my family is gone," Nodaka said through her tears. "I have nothing left to go back to anyway!"

"I can't think of any other options," Yasuke said and then sighed. "I thought surely I'd never give into despair, but if it really has been that long then she's probably gone by now. Which means I don't have a reason to live anymore either!" Then one by one everyone started to come to the same conclusion of hopelessness.

"Wait. Hold on. You…you can't be serious. Do you all really just want to give up and die?!" Mukuro shouted at us.

"What's the point dude?! If everything you say really is true then there's nothing left to go back to anyway! I don't want to deal with murder mystery game crap anymore!" Nate shouted back at her.

"Even if we survive this we'll end up having to kill each other to escape! I don't want to do that!" Aya exclaimed.

"No more blood hebi! No more murder hebi! No more despair hebi!" Azami shouted.

"I know I said I wouldn't kill anyone but after going through all of this I can't say for certain that I wouldn't end up becoming an idiot in the end," said Jonathan.

"When you put it like that, maybe it is better to just give up and not play the game at all," said Shiro.

"So this is the extent of your hopes?" Nagito asked with a scoff. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Oh well, I guess I won't end up seeing the mighty hope that is born from this despairful situation. But I've had a good run, can't complain. So long world, sorry you had to waste precious hope on garbage like me," Nagito said to nobody in particular.

"Hmm, well I suppose this outcome is interesting in its own right, if we were in a visual novel game one might consider this the BAD END route. Who knows maybe we'll get something for getting this ending first?" guessed Izuru. "Such a pity though, I was looking forward to what may come in the future."

Mukuro sighed. "If this is what you all really want, I guess I can't complain. It's my fault you guys are in this mess anyway." I saw her shed a single tear. "I know it doesn't mean much but once again I'd like to say that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all you've been put through."

I sighed in defeat. "Well I guess this is it then. I know our time together was short, but it was nice meeting you guys. Here's hoping we meet each other again on the other side."

Monokuma chuckled in glee. "Well then I guess it's time we end this. It's Punishment Ti…!"

Then all of a sudden a loud roar cut Monokuma off. It was coming from Soshun. "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He shouted so loud I thought my eardrums might burst. His roars of anger bounced off the walls of the trial grounds and magnified his rage. "Gooooooooooooooooddddddddddddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttttt!" Soshun shouted and threw the crystal ball high up into the air, probably meaning to break it against the wall opposite to him but instead he threw it straight up into the air and within seconds of launch gravity took over and the crystal ball plunged back to earth where it shattered into many pieces right on top of Soshun's head. Luckily it was just glass, if it was real crystal he'd have probably died but instead…*bash, thump*. The glass crystal ball knocked him out and he fell back to the floor behind him.

For a few seconds nobody said anything and then all of a sudden Soshun started to roar in anger yet again. "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" And as strange as it sounds, against all logic, even though he had just been flat on his back and unconscious mere seconds ago, Soshun stood right back up on his feet. And I mean right back onto his feet, one second he was on his back the next he was standing up big and tall, along with a few other noticeable changes.

Soshun's crescent-shaped ahoge disappeared and his hair and had suddenly all stood up on end and had become incredibly spiky. His glasses were lying on the floor, shattered from the fall, but at that point I didn't think he needed them. Not when his eyes were glowing. I mean really glowing. His yellow irises had somehow grown and his eyes had turned completely yellow, but now they glowed with an electric tint, turning to the shade of a bright, lustrous gold. And his teeth had now become split and gave him the appearance of a canine…or possibly even a demon. Not only that, but along with his eyes, his whole body started to glow a yellow-gold. The glow grew and grew until a thick aura of it completely enveloped his body.

Now let me repeat. Soshun had collapsed and then suddenly and without warning got back up onto his feet and started to glow. Along with that his hair had turned all spiky and his eyes became menacing and threatening with a glow as well. This was not some pandering anime, or some weird reference to _Dragon Ball Z_ , this was real life we were talking about here. Real life where high schoolers suddenly become involved with murder mysteries headed by some unknown madman controlling some robotic and malevolent teddy bear. '…..' Actually come to think of it, I'm not really that surprised anymore.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" the glowing Soshun shouted. "Oh damn, I thought I'd never get my time to shine! Ugh, it's been so long since I've been out in the open that I feel the need to stretch!" He started grunted and stretching his arms and then he just laughed and raised his hands up in a showy manner. "Psych, I'm already charged to the max and I'm ready to act! Soshun Murasame's time to kick ass has finally arrived! I don't know about the boring me but the current me always has an extra trick up his sleeve, now where the fuck did we leave off in our debate you peons?!"

"…." We were all speechless at the sight before us. Not only had Soshun's appearance changed, his voice had changed as well. No scratch that, his entire demeanor changed.

"M-Murasame-kun?" I hesitated.

"Well it ain't fucking Santa Claus! That's right! Soshun Murasame, the Ultimate Student Council Prez is at your mother loving service! All rise, now bow!" He raised his right pointer finger at us to direct our motions. "You guys didn't do it! What the fuck?! When you address your Student Council Prez you're supposed to how some damned respect! I'll have you know I have the power to expel worthless peons I want! I am not a normal Student Council Prez after all, I am the Ultimate Student Council Prez! All of the student body must listen to my commands! I am the god of the students, hear me roar!"

"Wh-what the hell happened to So?! He's gone insane!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"So, eh?! That's what you've been calling the ol' slacker, eh poindexter?! Well screw that, you can refer to him like that but I prefer to be called by my title!" Soshun shouted at Jonathan.

"What you want us to call you President Murasame now, or something? What's the point, we've all decided that we're giving up on the game now anyway you know?" asked Izuru. "We're not going to be around that much longer."

"Oh I see," Soshun said to himself. "That's why the ol' slacker was steaming mad, he wanted to tell you guys that you had shit for brains for even thinking like that but he didn't have the god damn nerve! Well say my name and I shall appear, as flashy as lightning, as powerful as a hurricane, like the mighty earthquake I will rock your very souls! Give it up ladies and gentlemen for the one, the only, the other half of Ultimate Student Council President Duo, the incredible Ultimate Deva!"

"Ultimate what?!" I repeated in bewilderment.

"The Ultimate Deva, that's me! What you got wax in your fucking ears?!" Soshun exclaimed. "I am the embodiment of all of Soshun Murasame's aspirations, hope, and rage! Especially rage goddammit!" Then he chuckled again. "But don't worry my loyal peons! Daddy Deva is here to shine his benevolent light on you! I may be kind of a cranky guy but I am without a doubt the world's greatest leader! Heck if it didn't sound so mother fucking cliché I would be called the Ultimate Dictator! But because of the neat glow in the dark trick I tend to do when I change into me the staff of Hope's Peak Academy decided to bless me with the tile of Ultimate Deva! I am a god, worship me and I shall bless you with my graces!"

It sounded ridiculous but Soshun's odd behavior was enough to make us all snap out of our despair-filled states and return to normal as we looked upon the odd sight of the former Ultimate Student Council President. "Are you for real, where the hell do you get off asking us to worship you?!" Nodaka shouted at Soshun.

Soshun chuckled again. "Just playing my loyal peons! The Ultimate Deva doesn't play that way, I'm not one of those pain in the ass gods that you have to pay before they bless you with their fucking grace!"

"Um, who is this guy exactly? It sure doesn't seem like boring old Soshun," said Nate.

"I am Soshun Murasame!" Soshun shouted. And then he quickly tacked on, "And I'm also not."

"You are Murasame-kun and you also aren't him? What does that even mean?" Micho asked.

"Allow me to explain young lady! For as long as I can remember I have existed as a shadow in Sohsun's life, I am his hidden self, the part of him that doesn't get to see the light of day quite often because of his natural relaxed and laidback persona! I only get to show up when shit really hits the fan but that's the time when I shine the most! If you want to call me something I guess you could say that I am the alter ego of Soshun Murasame, but I don't need to be referred to by another name! Even though me and the ol' slacker are like fucking night and day we still share one body, one mind, and one spirit!" Soshun proudly exclaimed. "I'm just like a super-charged version of the other guy and I'm ready to kick some ass! Bring out that wussy little Mastermind and I'll show him the true power of Soshun Murasame!"

"I…I'm really not getting what's going on here anymore. Too many abnormal things have happened to me today," said Shiro.

"Are you like Gin-eda's imaginary friend or something hebi? " Azami asked.

"Gin-eda? Silver branch?" Soshun stroked his chin. "I love it, and I'm sure the ol' slacker will love it too! Wait to go Jagaimo-chan, you're an okay chick in my book!" he exclaimed as he flashed Azami a toothy smile and gave her a thumb's up.

"You know Azami-tan's name hebi?" Azami replied in a confused manner.

"Duh, I know all of you peons! I wouldn't be able to call myself your self-appointed leader otherwise! A leader needs to at least know his peons' names, that's just common fucking curtesy!" Soshun shouted. "And to answer your next question, I'm always listening so I know everything that the slacker knows but ironically he doesn't retain anything that I know! Guess it just has something to do with his personality! But who gives a fuck about that, right now?! You're dealing with the Ultimate Fucking Deva right now, not the Ultimate Fucking Slacker! So feel free to still call me Soshun if you like, or if it's more comfortable just call me Deva, but I would be totally thrilled if you called me Leader! Fuck yeah!" Soshun shouted.

"This is just too weird, what happened to Murasame-san?" Aya asked.

"Mr. Soshun Murasame has gone through quite a "glowing" transformation, hasn't he?" Keiko joked.

"The Ultimate Deva, eh? I don't seem to recall you being among Hope's Peak's elite, and surely someone of your supposed talent would be in the top tier, wouldn't you?" Nagito asked Soshun.

"No way! I prefer to rule from the shadows as does ol' slacker, that's why any policies that we create as the Ultimate Student Council Prez get enforced through committee! At Hope's Peak Academy the title of Ultimate Student Council President has been made totally ambiguous so nobody learns that a crazy power junkie like me runs things! That's probably why you guys have never heard about Soshun Murasame before! I am fucking anonymous! It has to be that way or else people might start to panic, I mean think about it! If you knew that the guy chosen to lead your student body had a fucking split personality, you think you would still continue to follow him?! No way, right?! People with DID are labeled freaks, right?! But the Hope's Peak Academy faculty decided to keep me a secret because my leadership skills were just too great to pass up on so they took the good with bad and let the slacker enroll free of charge in order to study my fucking talent! Thus ends Part 1 of the origin of the Ultimate Deva! Stay tuned for more peons!" he exclaimed and then laughed furiously.

"Split personality? DID? What does this new development mean anyway tres amis?" Connie asked.

"I think I know what's going on here and so does Maita-kun," Jose replied.

"I…I do?" I replied.

"We heard of something similar that happened to another student during our investigation, remember?" Jose asked, trying to get me to remember.

Then it came to me. 'Wait, that's right. Something similar to Soshun's development was mentioned as happening to another Hope's Peak Academy Student. The evidence for that was…' I motioned for my other self to pick out the corresponding evidence to match Jose's claim. (Ammunition needed: **Genocide Jack case file** ). "That's it!" I exclaimed. "During my investigation, I went to the library and met up with Historia-kun, there the two of us checked the backroom archives and stumbled upon some very peculiar information. You see, according to Historia-kun the backroom archives contain very secretive information that not just anyone is allowed to know, one of these pieces of selective information is contained inside a series of cold case files."

"What's a cold case file?" Aya asked.

"A cold case file is a case that detectives tried to solve but couldn't either because they didn't have enough evidence or they ran out of leads, so the case remains unsolved until eventually any remaining trails go cold," Micho explained. "The information pertaining to the case is then filed and stored for future detectives to come and see if they can discover any new clues. There's a lot of cases throughout history that have had this fate, but I didn't know there were cold case files here at the school. That's kind of…no, that is really creepy."

"Well I've known that they were there, so don't get any ideas about Ultimate Despair placing them there," said Jose. "The few students who are allowed to enter the backroom archives are of the top elite, people like Togami-san. He ventured into that backroom quite often. You see while I was simply solving mysteries in novels and stories he was taking it a step further and actually solving real life mysteries. If he didn't wind up dead I would admit to his face that he had farm more logic and reasoning than I did."

"So what's so special about this cold case file anyway?" Shiro asked.

"Well you see, this particular cold case file gave information about a series of murders that I'm sure you're all at least partially aware of. The Genocide Jack serial murders?" Jose asked.

Based on everyone's reaction it was safe to assume that they had at least heard the name Genocide Jack mentioned before.

"Genocide Jack? Isn't that the name of that crazy serial killer who's been talked about on the news?" Cam asked.

"They say Genocide Jack kills his victims in the most brutal way and then leaves behind a crude calling card written in the victim's own blood. _Blood Lust_ ," Chihiro explained.

" _Blood Lust_?" Jonathan repeated and then shivered. "Ugh, just hearing that sets me on edge."

"I've heard that before he came to Japan he's been all over the world, killing many people. His victims are said to be in the hundreds," Keiko said uneasily. "But those are probably just rumors, in reality I think he's only killed ten or more people, which is still a lot but at least it proves that Mr. Genocide Jack is human."

"Human or not, that psycho is bat shit crazy!" Nate exclaimed. He seemed particularly unnerved by the topic of Genocide Jack. "What kind of sick, twisted person kills people for fun?!"

"Soldier girl's sister in case you've forgotten," Nodaka replied.

"In truth my sister and I have probably killed more people than Genocide Jack could've ever dreamed of," said Mukuro. "Why bring up Genocide Jack all of a sudden?"

"Well you see, the case file mentioned specific details about a profile the detectives investigating him made up," I replied. "And it mentions something that I think you might all find a little shocking."

"Well what are you waiting for, whip that puppy out already you peon!" Soshun shouted at me.

"Puppy?" I repeated. "Oh you mean the case file, right?" I asked. "Well you see the thing is…I don't have it on me."

"According to Monokuma, we weren't allowed to take any information out of the archives, and he also said we couldn't take notes so I didn't get the chance to write any of it down in my journal," Jose explained. "But lucky for you guys I happen to have a photographic memory and after only reading the file once I remember every word written inside verbatim."

"I didn't say anything about not being able to take mental notes after all," Monokuma added.

"So what did the file say?" Beigoma asked.

"I'll skip the tedious details and get straight to the important stuff," Jose replied.

Flashback:

 _May 4, 2010-_ _Top profilers from across the country have come together to investigate Genocide Jack. In just four short months Genocide Jack has driven his body count to fifteen and he is steadily rising with more and more time. All the previous signatures from his M.O. have still come to pass, all the victims are males who are stabbed and then crucified with Genoscissors, and the phrase "Blood Lust" has made an appearance at all of the crime scenes and is always written in the victim's own blood. One thing sticks out to the profilers about this specific signature Genocide Jack shows in leaving a message at his crime scenes, the fact that he is willing to exert the time and effort to write his message in his medium of the victim's blood shows that Genocide Jack feels like some kind of bond has been forged between him and his victims through death. If this is true then that would mean that Genocide Jack has already grown past the need to kill and is now doing it solely because he views it as an enjoyable pastime. Further, the profilers have suggested that Genocide Jack's particular M.O. is the key to catching him. As such we have retracted particular details of the cases from the public and media to make sure that no one gets any bad ideas and tries to become a copycat killer. If what the profilers say is true then this may mean that Genocide Jack is not driven to compulsion like a traditional psychopath but is instead fully aware of what he is doing and is enjoying every single second of it. This detail could make him far more maniacal and deadly than any other psychopath in existence._

 _June 23, 2010-_ _We have done as the profilers have suggested and looked more into the times and locations of Genocide Jack's kills. The first victim was a young male student who lived in the Shikoku area, he died after school hours as did some of the other victims, and this may suggest that Genocide Jack could be another student or even a teacher. One thing is clear though, the key to finding him is through his victims._

 _July 4, 2010-_ _We have found a correlation between all the victims, it appears that they are all of the type considered to be "handsome" to females. And considering the times of the kills and the locations this suggest that Genocide Jack could be female, a female student most likely. And if that is the case then we are looking for a female student who would not stick out like a sore thumb, Genocide Jack's deranged instability suggests that he may suffer from a mental disorder such as dissociate identity disorder (DID). It could be that Genocide Jack is merely an alternate persona to a female student, while the female student's real persona is the complete polar opposite of its deranged counterpart. Most likely shy, not very outgoing, timid and withdrawn. She most likely does not come from a stable social and home life and is thought of as an outcast to the outside world, however if the rule of polar opposites is true then this female student would be very smart and reserved in comparison to Genocide Jack's broadness and manic behavior. This could suggest why Genocide Jack has remained hidden for so long and has not drawn any unnecessary attention to himself, his real persona is smart enough to know when to take over and control his urges. It appears we are looking for a misunderstood girl with a monster inside of her._

"That's not everything in the report but all the important details are there though," Jose explained. "Anyone care to guess the identity of Genocide Jack?"

"What, now you want us to talk about finding the identity of another killer? It was bad enough with just one," Shiro complained.

"Well according to the details you gave us, the profile that the detectives came up with for Genocide Jack was that all his victims are males so Genocide Jack is most likely a female serial killer, which is pretty rare in itself," Micho explained. "Then it went on to say that because of the timing of the kills and their locations to school sites, Genocide Jack is probably a female student and the reason that this student has eluded capture for so long is because she wears another persona, one completely opposite of Genocide Jack." Then insight struck Micho. "I see, Genocide Jack also suffered from DID, more commonly known as dissociative identity disorder."

"Even when you give us what the acronym stands for I still don't understand it," said Cam. "What's dissociative identity disorder?"

"You've probably heard it used as multiple personality disorder or something along those lines," Yasuke replied. "It's a typical mental disorder that some of the more eccentric people tend to develop. Think of your personality, the very nature that describes you, as a person itself. Think of your brain as that person's home, now usually the limit for personalities is one per brain but what if another person moved into that brain and shared it with the current occupant, you would end up having two personalities instead of one. And the varying personalities tend to be different to a fault, they could have different mannerisms, different feelings and ideas, and even different names that they identify with," Yasuke explained. "People with this mental disorder are almost sharing their body with another person, and anything from falling asleep to coming in contact with a certain object can trigger this other person's appearance. It's not rally that uncommon to see this disorder in a person because what exactly causes it is still unknown but it's usually believed to be related to some type of abuse or trauma."

"Wow, hearing all that from you makes you sound kind of smart Surudoi-kun hebi," said Azami.

"I'll take that as a compliment ugly," Yasuke replied.

"But you're still so mean hebi," Azami replied.

"So that's what Soshun has dude? Whatchamacallit disorder?" Nate asked.

"Damn straight but Soshun didn't get abused you dumb peons! I showed up because whether he knew it or not he needed someone to control his life!" Soshun exclaimed.

"Wait you control So? Ugh, this comparison is giving me a headache!" Jonathan exclaimed as he rubbed his temples. "Look you said we could call you Deva, right? Because there is no way in hell I'm calling you Leader."

"Deva's fine, but I prefer Soshun Murasame! I'm not like other dissociative personalities, I don't have my own ideas or free will or any of that shit! I'm just Soshun's inner self, the kind of emotions that he's not able to show himself! Like I said before, I only come out when shit hits the fan and he gets mad!" Sosh…no, Deva exclaimed.

"So if you only show up when Murasame-kun gets mad, eh?" Micho asked. "Then the reason you showed up now is because he was mad at something?"

"That's right, he was off the charts steaming! I don't think I've ever seen the ol' slacker so mad before, he's usually such a fucking carefree guy!" Soshun shouted.

"As opposed to the guy who glows and uses exclamatories for everything?" Jose asked.

"Don't get snippy with me you peon because the guy that Soshun's pissed off at is you!" Deva shouted as he pointed a finger at Jose.

"Me?" Jose replied.

Then Deva pointed at Micho. "And you!"

"Huh?" Micho replied.

The he pointed to Yasuke. "And you, Dr. Know it All!"

"…" Yasuke remained silent.

And lastly me. "And especially you!"

"Me too?" I replied.

"Not just you, just especially you! Don't you get it?! All of you worthless peons are on Soshun's shit list right now!" Soshun shouted.

"Murasame-san is mad at us?" Aya asked.

"Why? What did we do?" Keiko asked.

"It's not about what you fucking did! It's about what you're fucking going to do!" Soshun shouted. "You peons are planning on throwing in the towel just like that and calling it quits on the game, aren't you?! Well too fucking bad because you guys aren't going anywhere, I'm here to make sure of that!"

"Y-you don't want us to quit playing?" I asked.

"Duh! You still got wax in your fucking ears?! Who the hell would honestly choose giving up and dying over living to see another fucking day?! No one that's who! That's why Soshun couldn't wrap his head around what was going on with you peons! He and everyone else here are supposed to be solving this mystery in order to go home and here you are choosing death! It doesn't make any fucking sense! I mean sure all of that shit that Monokuma and Mukuro were going off about just now might've been a lot to take in but that's no damn reason to just call it quits and fucking kill yourselves! Do you want to really end up like the other fucking peons who lost their lives to this god forsaken place?!" Deva shouted.

"…" We all fell silent at the sound of his words.

"So we've lost seven years' worth of memories?! Boohoo! So people want us to kill each other?! Boohoo! So we're stuck here in this impossible situation until we solve this mystery and win this mutual killing game bullshit?! Boo - freaking - hoo! None of those shitty details should be enough to make you want to kill yourself! That's the point Soshun was trying to make but you assholes didn't give him the time of day so I was forced to come out and school you peons myself! So what the hell is the matter with you guys?! Why do you want to die?! Why the fuck do you just want to give up and let Monokuma kill you?!"

"Technically, you'd be killing yourselves. I'd just be the suicide weapon," said Monokuma.

"Shut the fuck up you dumb bear!" Deva shouted at Monokuma.

"Yes sir, shutting up now," Monokuma replied.

"Now I'm not fucking around anymore, seriously I want a goddamn explanation right now! Why the fuck do you guys want to off yourselves now?!"

"…" we all stayed silent while wearing solemn expressions.

Deva sighed and then he lowered his voice a little. "Look, I know it's tough. This is a whole lot of information that you've been given, most of it is truly terrifying. We've been missing for seven years and in that time some crazy terrorist group led by some crazy bitch F'd up the world. Now this madness is being broadcast on television? It all sounds ridiculous but all the evidence we've gather so far suggest that all that ridiculous shit is true. But so what? So what if we've lost our memories? So what if our friends and families are gone? So what if the world's become such a crazy place that people get off on watching kids kill each other? You know what? I think the others knew. No I'm sure they knew. They had to have after being locked in this god forsaken school for six fucking years. They realized the hopelessness and the insanity of the realization destroyed them, but I think that was just because by the time they realized that hopelessness they had already sacrificed a bunch of their friends. But that's where we differ, don't you see?"

"…" we were starting to cheer up a little as Deva's words began to sink into us.

"We've discovered the truth at the very beginning of our story, don't you see what we've been given? We've been given a chance to break this endless cycle of blood and murder that those psychos from Ultimate Despair created. We already know the truth, albeit a despairingly awful truth we know now that what's outside isn't something we should kill for. But that still shouldn't stop us from getting out here right? Think about it, now that we know the truth we won't be blinded by things that don't matter in that chaotic world outside. We won't be fighting to get back to a dead world, we'll just be fighting to leave. Like it or not, we're all alone in this. Even though we just met today, and you guys just met me a couple of minutes ago, I feel like we're the only ones who can understand each other now. We've got to stop fighting and work together, and do our best to get along and become friends, we've been given a firm standing to start on now that we truly know what we're fighting for. That's why we shouldn't think of this as every man for himself but instead we should unite together just like Yasuke and Akira said before. Our enemy isn't each other, and it isn't this horrible despair like Monokuma will have you believe, our enemy is the Mastermind and the rest of Ultimate Despair. Us giving into that despair is what they want that's why they created this mutual killing game. Don't you guys see? It isn't a battle amongst ourselves, it's a one-sided massacre led by Ultimate Despair."

"…*hahaha*" we heard a slight chuckle and then turned to see that it came from a surprising individual. Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist himself. When he noticed that we heard him laughing he didn't let up, no in fact his laughter grew and grew. Then finally he stopped laughing and smiled. "I can't believe that I gave in, even for a brief moment. I'm such a wuss. You're right…in saying I was right before. It's like I said, the only way we're going to get though this is if we all work together to escape. We make sure that not one single person dies and instead look for a different way of beating this sick game. Nothing's really changed, just the prize that we're trying to obtain. Now that we know that what's out there isn't worth killing each other over there's no reason to doubt one another for even a second." Then he laughed again and looked up to Monokuma. "I hope you and your scumbag friends from Ultimate Despair are watching because this is the declaration of war that I'm setting against you bastards. We're not going to willingly go along with your little game, no one's killing anyone. If necessary, I'll make sure of that myself."

"That's just like you," Micho said softly. "You claim that you don't really care about anyone but yourself but that's not the truth is it? Deep down, you're worried about each one of us aren't you? That's why you say that you'll protect us, right? You're easy to read, no matter how many walls you try to put up."

Yasuke blushed a little and then looked away. "Shut up ugly," he whispered.

Micho laughed and then flashed one of the bright smiles of hers. "You're both right, now that we know who our true enemy is there's no reason to doubt each other anymore. No matter what happens here I know that I will never ever hurt my friends, and I trust that you all feel the same. So that's why I'll continue to fight alongside you guys, after all what's a courtroom battle without a strong attorney present." Then she blushed and giggled. "Ugh, that sounded cooler in my head."

Nodaka sighed. "I'm sure that if Mistress Hitomi, young master Fuyuhiko, and Peko-sama were here today they'd want me to stand strong and fight to represent the noble Kuzuryuu clan. Even though I was only adopted by them I still feel as if they're my true family, so that's why I won't back down either. I'll make sure that the Mastermind and Ultimate Despair pay for the suffering that they put them through. I won't stop until their entire organization is reduced to dust!" Then she blushed and rubbed her shoulder. "S-So that's why I'd really appreciate it if you guys stayed with me until then." She looked right at me but it was only for a second. "Besides my Mistress, I haven't really had a friend since elementary school as hopeless as that sounds. So it would be nice to have someone who I know has my back no matter what." Then she looked away and pretended as if it didn't happen.

Beigoma smiled. "You all know how I feel, strength lies in numbers – Anon…no, you know what? Strength lies in friendship and trust – Beigoma Kiyoshi. I feel so strongly about it that I might as well stake my own claim on it. I hope you all will accept me as your ally, I know that I may not be the brightest or the most courageous…"

Nodaka cut her off. "Don't forget to add crybaby to that list of your faults. Programmer girl cries less than you."

Beigoma sweatdropped and replied, "Right, I know I can be a tad difficult in all those regards but I just want you to know that if you all will stand with me I think that I can push through those weaknesses and fight too. I don't want anyone here to suffer any more so let's stick it to those Ultimate Despair guys!" she exclaimed with newfound resolve.

Jonathan sighed and then said, "Geez, I usually hate getting on the bandwagon but I hate this whole bloody situation we're caught up in even more. And I don't know about the rest of you but I can't just live life not knowing what happened to us in that seven year gap in our memories so just for a little longer I'll stick with you idiots so I can try to make some sense out of this whole unbelievable dilemma. Just don't slow me down and you'll have my support and wisdom."

Sawa giggled and replied sarcastically, "Oh thank god, now we know we're safe. All hail the Ultimate Hypochondriac."

"It's Ultimate Procrastinator, you barefooted idiot," Jonathan replied in an angry tone.

Sawa sighed and said, "Well despite his arrogant claims, I agree with him and everybody else. We can't just take what's happened to us and Asahina-senpai and the other students lying down. The only way the victims of this horrible massacre are ever going to receive justice is if we show the Mastermind and Ultimate Despair what for. So if you're planning to fight then count me in too, I may not look it but I'm pretty strong. I can definitely kick some ass when necessary."

Then Shiro began to speak. "I know that I'm not that smart, and when it comes to gruesome things I kind of throw in the towel but I'd feel bad if I just let the rest of you fight my battles for me. So if you'd let me, I'd like to fight alongside you guys. I may not be the best comrade to have in a fight but I swear I'll try my best to be of assistance."

Nodaka scoffed. "Sheesh, even your speeches are soft. Despites your looks you're really just a marshmallow on the inside aren't you?"

"Marshmallow?" Shiro repeated the word as he blushed. "I…I wouldn't go that far."

"Despite Monsieur Monokuma's claims they have yet to be proven true by my own eyes. I for one will not believe in such absurdities until I see them for myself. La fiendish members of Ultima Despair want us to wallow in doubt and darkness, no? Then let us press forward tres amis into the unknown future. I Connie Takemi, le Ultime Horologist solemnly vow to escape this terrible game by any means necessary! Except killing mes amis of course," Connie tacked on to her speech.

"Hmm, Azami-tan's been thinking hebi," said Azami. "She's never really had that many friends because most people think she's weird hebi. But since meeting you guys she's been feeling like there's this incredible warmth inside her heart hebi. It's a weird feeling hebi. Is this what it means to have someone you can count on hebi?" Then the Ultimate Oculist nodded to herself. "Yes, yes, that's definitely what it means hebi. Azami-tan thinks of you guys as her true friends because you're just as weird as her hebi!" she proudly exclaimed.

"No one's as weird as you," Yasuke replied.

"Jagaimo-chan's point Surudoi-kun is that she wants to fight alongside you guys too hebi. Please treat her kindly hebi," she said as she gave us a wide smile.

"Though I hate blood, I hate feeling helpless even more," said Aya. "That's why I want to fight too! I want to be as fierce as a great white shark! As resilient as a starfish! As fast as a bottlenose dolphin! As strong as a killer whale! All the while being as cute and funny as a clownfish!" she exclaimed. "Even though the sea sponge is still my favorite animal I realize that I can't just sit around and filter feed like they do, I have to act, I have to do something. Just think of what's happened to the ocean in all the time that I've been gone? Maybe it's become even more polluted? Who knows how many species have gone extinct in the past seven years? It is my duty as the Ultimate Marine Biologist to protect the sea and all of the noble creatures who come from and inhabit it! I won't forgive anyone who messes with the precious and fragile world that we and all life inhabit!"

"Ultimate Despair has indeed raised us a very nasty hand, the dead man's hand can't even compare," Keiko said. "However, as the Ultimate Croupier I never turn my back away when a challenge has been issued. I hereby chalk up the previous feeling of despair I had as a mere fluke and momentary lapse of judgement. One that I shall not repeat, this I declare! I shall bring down the whole house and take every cent they have. So I say this to the Mastermind and Ultimate Despair, get your game on!"

"There will definitely be more mysteries to solve down the road, all of which I shall solve singe-handedly," said Jose. "Even though I am just the Ultimate Historian, I still pride myself on my knowledge and logic. I'm going to put both Byakuya Togami and Kyoko Kirigiri to shame with my powers of mental reasoning. And I also want to find out what happened to us in that seven year gap in our memories so I can record it for future reference. History is essential after all. So count me in, I'm not backing down anymore."

"I don't know if I'll be of that much help since the only thing I'm good at is working with computers," said Chihiro. "I know I can be a bit of a coward too, but I want to change all that. I…I want to be able to fight my own battles so I can destroy my old fragile self once and for all. I'm tired of being weak so please let me help too, so I can learn to change along with the rest of you."

"Chihiro-chan said something surprisingly strong and empowering. Her headstrong side is cute too," Cam said with a smile.

Chihiro blushed. "D-Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not, if you're going to fight then so am I. I said so myself remember, I'll be your knight in shining armor. So I'll fight to help us escape this nightmare and then I'll be sure to give you a proper proposal," Cam replied.

Chihiro looked away embarrassed and then she whispered something to herself. It sounded like, "Only after we get to know each other better," but I couldn't be sure.

Nate sighed. "Ugh, all my life I've been put through trials to test my merit, but still this whole thing is just messed up. I seriously haven't felt this scared since that one time. I feel like I can see my own death right now. I wonder, is this what it feels like to actually be aware of your own mortality? Seriously creepy dudes. But all those trials I went through made me the person I am today, everything we encounter in our lives has a purpose, right? Though I can't see what the purpose is to all of this nonsense but madness for the sake of madness. People who just want to watch the world burn are seriously messed up in the head. But that's exactly why I can't admit defeat just yet. No I definitely can't!" he exclaimed with a newfound confidence. "I've felt my own mortality only a handful of times, right now my freak out meter is easily on seven but that might be what makes it a challenge. I hate bullies and these Ultimate Despair bastards pick on the innocent and try to drive them insane, they're the worst kind of bullies. I swear, if it's the last thing I do I'm going to take them down. But even if I'm the Ultimate Assassin, an assassin can't do everything on his own. He needs information and backup to solve problems he can't solve with his skills. So that is why I hereby declare you guys my new Order, your job as such is to guide me with a foolproof strategy. Now just think of me as a sword and strike these Ultimate Despair bastards down!"

"I don't think it's going to come to that," said Sawa.

"Aw, I wanted to show off my sweet skills," said Nate in a disappointed tone.

"You all should know my opinion by now," said Nagito. "An organization that's sole goal is to bring the world into despair has no right whatsoever to exist. That's why I suggest that you guys unite together and show them what the symbols of hope are really made of!" That weird blush took over his face again and he began to shiver. "And if it's not too much of a bother I'd like to stick around and watch as the supreme hope needed to cultivate in this festering despair is born at last. I just want to witness that moment where you beat Ultimate Despair, I'll help too of course but I'm sure I won't be of any use to you. But please let me stay, if only just to witness that single moment where your supreme hope is truly born."

Then Mukuro sighed. "Though, Ultimate Despair was created by my sister I can't bear to see what has become of it. It has grown so dark and perverted that even Junko Onee-chan couldn't contain it, and if she couldn't handle that much despair then there's no way that I possibly can. That's why, I think I want to try hoping for a brighter tomorrow from now on. Maybe if I stay and fight I can learn what it truly means to stand strong. Though I am the Ultimate Soldier I do not want my only purpose in life to be that of a killer. I want to discover who I really am. There must be more to Mukuro Ikusaba than just being a soldier after all. I feel like this is the starting point I need to change who I am. So if you'll have me and forgive me for my past sins I promise that I will help you all in your endeavor to beat Ultimate Despair."

'Everyone. I feel like they've all changed somehow, if only slightly. What is this? This newfound feeling of hope?' I asked myself. Then I closed my eyes. 'I feel like a change is trying to happen in me also. But the question is, should I accept that change? If I do this, there's no going back. I can already tell, this road that I'm on right now will lead straight to the end. There won't be any more fear or anger or despair, no more pain or suffering or agony. If I choose to end everything now I won't have to go through the arduous journey that's ahead of me. But…' I tried to think back and answer the question I couldn't answer before. I searched and searched but I couldn't find it at all. I had really forgotten where I lived, but even more frighteningly it didn't end there. I forgot about what my room looked like, I forgot what my friends looked like, I forgot if I had any pets, I forgot what my mom and dad looked like and even worse I forgot their voices. I had forgotten everything. It was as if every significant person and event in my life had been whited out. There were no faces, no voices, no sort of feeling or anything. I saw past events in my head but there was no real connection to them. I had truly forgotten who I was.

'Ultimate Despair took our memories? If that's true, if that's really true…no it must be true, that's the only way I can explain this huge gap in my memories. But even more peculiar, I can't really remember anything before that, at least not anything involving another person. That's so odd. Why would Ultimate Despair go through the trouble of erasing all those memories? I thought they only took the seven years of memories that we had forgotten but maybe something else is going on here entirely. But, do I really want to know what that something else is? No, that's crazy talk. This is me we're talking about here, what am I scared of? These bastards stole my memories, I should want to get them back. Why am I hesitating?' But no matter how I tried to convince myself, this single ounce of doubt wouldn't leave my body. 'Is my subconscious trying to warn me not to pursue it any further because it knows I won't like the answer? Or…no, no matter what the case I want to remember. Those are my memories dammit! They're what define me, if I can't remember anyone important to me then what kind of person does that make me? My memories would be completely empty, with nothing but me and shadows in them. If I never knew the truth behind my memories, that might be even worse than dying. There would be no real connection to them, it would be like I was seeing someone else's life through my eyes. Not having any identity whatsoever is like the worst hell imaginable.'

'But still…why is it Ultimate Despair modified those memories? According to Mukuro only those memories over the past seven years that've been gone should be missing. The other memories are still there, it's just I can't remember certain details about them. Details that are important, that much I know. But what's the point of doing that?' I looked around at the others. 'And are they the same way? Cannot they not remember certain things either? It's all too strange. Especially this pang of fear I'm getting when thinking about my memories. It's like my subconscious is telling me not to dig any deeper, but that just makes me want to know why those memories are hidden even more. I…I don't know what to do. The others look like they've decided to fight but I don't know if I want to join them or not. I just want to go home, but I can't even remember where I live. This is all just too much!' I held my head in frustration as worry overtook me. 'I'm completely lost, I can't make heads or tails of any of this. I can't remember any of it? What else am I forgetting?'

"Akira? You okay?" Deva asked me.

'I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do,' that thought kept repeating itself over in my head. I was at an utter loss.

'That's right, I didn't tell you did I? Why Soshun and me were so pissed off at you?" Deva asked.

'It's like these memories aren't even mine, it's like I have no connection to them. That connection is completely gone. Who is Akira Maita? Who am I?' I asked myself.

"The reason is because of what you said before," Deva said.

I opened my eyes briefly and heard out what he had to say. "Eh?"

"What you said to Mukuro," Deva replied. "You encouraged her to prove that she was stronger than the Mastermind had thought. You had some massive balls yelling all that stuff at her like that. Even though he didn't say anything, Soshun thought that was so cool how you stepped in and handled things. Myself included. When Mukuro was teetering on the edge the rest of us just stood there but not you, you didn't even hesitate. You took charge of the chaos and brought the confidence back that Monokuma shattered in no time flat. It's like you and your words were the cure for her despair. So seeing you fall into despair yourself was just kind of a downer to him. He got pissed off at you and everyone else's whining and well the rest you know." Deva sighed and shrugged his shoulders. His glowing aura was starting to die down a little. "Look, I know that you're probably just as cared as the rest of us bu believe it or not you're a strong guy. I can tell just by looking at you, Akira you have what it takes to survive this too just like the rest of us."

Just like them? But I wasn't like them. "But I'm not like you," I replied. "I'm not like any of you. I don't have an amazing talent, or skill, or anything that sets me apart from others. I'm not special at all. I'm just the Ultimate Wannabe, I want to be like you more than anything else I want to be on the same level as you guys. But I'm starting to realize that no matter how much I wish I can be as strong as all of you, that's not me. I'm just a normal high school student. I'm cliché to an otherworldly level. I score average on tests and exams, all the movies and TV shows I like are whatever's popular, I'll only listen to music if a friend recommends a song first, I was elected class rep purely because people know I'm part of the go-home club and don't have anything better to do." I was starting to tear up, I could feel the tears strolling down my cheeks. "I don't have anything that sets me apart from the rest of the crowd! I'm a member of the Reserve Department's course, remember?! I blend in with a crowd of 2,357 other normal kids! There's nothing special about me at all! That's why I can't got through with this!" I shouted.

"…" the others remained silent.

"You're asking me to accept these unbelievable circumstances?! Well I can't do it! All of this blood, and murder, and death! Memories being erased?! A terrorist group of high schoolers bent on making everyone feel despair using a robot teddy bear?! This endless tragedy of suffering and pain…on some level this all may be normal in your world but it's not in mine! I just want to go home! I just want this all to end! You're wrong, I'm not strong, or brave or anything! I'm nothing! I'm nobody! I'm just some dumb kid who was picked at random for some psycho killing contest! And I don't want to play, you can't make me!" Then after that I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. For a few moments none of them said anything, but then she spoke up.

"No you're wrong. You're nothing? You're nobody? That's a lie and you know it." I looked up at Nodaka, and saw that she was frowning at me.

"What do you know? You have talent, an amazing talent. You matter to the world," I replied.

"I'm the Ultimate Maid, it wasn't a talent I was born with. It was a talent I created myself," she replied. "And for your information I wasn't always like this, before I made this talent of nurturing and caretaking my own I was a normal person just like you. I was taken in by the Kuzuryuu clan when I first began middle school because my parents passed away and I became orphaned. I was told by the other maids that my job was to make sure that Mistress Hitomi was protected and cared for at all times. Her being the same age as me, she opened up to me and we became the best of friends besides just being mater and servant. I learned everything I know today from the other maids and Peko-sama, they taught me everything I needed to know to take care of myself and to take care of others. I owe everything I have to the Kuzuryuu clan's kindness, but before that I was thinking the same thing you're thinking right now."

"…" I stayed silent as I listened to Nodaka's story.

"My friend, my best friend…no actually I guess you could say my childhood crush, moved away before I started middle school and I never saw him again. Then a year later my parents were killed in a car accident, leaving me all alone." She hugged herself and rubbed her shoulders. "I thought that the world hated me and it took away the people closest to me on purpose. I started to think I was nothing too, and for a while that's how I felt. Empty, like there was no meaning to my life at all. But when the Kuzuryuu clan took me in I learned that my way of thinking was just a coward's way of thinking."

"What?" I replied.

"Saying to yourself that you don't matter, that you're nothing special, that you can't do anything just makes you end up actually believing that. People who say those kinds of things to themselves are just cowards who never change because they convince themselves that they can't change on their own. You saying that you don't matter to the world is basically like you're saying that you would be better off dead. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to die…not anymore at least. And I don't want you to die either. You do matter Akira. You matter to me, and you matter to everyone else here too, right?" As if in response to her question the others began to agree.

"Maita-kun, we can't do this without you. We need you to help us," said Micho.

"If it weren't for you we would have never gotten this far, you can't just quit now," said Shiro.

"Reserve course student or not, none of that matters. You're our friend dude, believe it!" Nate exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter that you don't have a talent, that isn't what makes you special Kira Onii-chan," said Beigoma. "You're nice and brave and really smart, that's why I wanted you to be my older brother, remember?"

"You want to stop them too don't you? To make sure that they never hurt anyone ever again, you have to stand with us and fight," said Sawa.

"You're forgetting that you can't even really call my luck a talent," said Nagito. "Us talentless people have to stick together, don't you think?" Even he tried to assure me that I mattered to him with his odd ways.

"They're right Akira," said Deva. "Soshun and me agree too, you are our friend. Soshun has never really had that many friends before so for him to truly think he can rely on you, you must be one special guy. You've got a way about you that can inspire others to keep moving forward. As leader of the group it would be my honor to make you second in command."

"Again, no one said you're the leader of anything," said Nodaka. "Don't just declare random crap all of a sudden, you'll ruin this heartfelt moment!"

"I think it adds to the moment, thank you!" Deva shouted at her.

I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. These people, though I just met them a few hours ago thought of me in such a way. 'They think of me as their friend?' I asked myself and then I smiled. 'Of course. Why wouldn't they? I think of them as the same way, all of them no matter how weird or secretive or even downright scary. I don't want to see any of them die. I don't think I could take that. Yasuke, Micho, Nodaka, Nate, Jonathan, Soshun and Deva, Chihiro, Cam, Azami, Sawa, Shiro, Connie, Keiko, Aya, Jose, Beigoma, Nagito, Mukuro, and Izuru; whether I like it or not, we're all in this together. They understand how I feel about all of this craziness. In the short time that we've been together they all worked together with me and accepted me and all of my faults. How could I have been stupid? Of course they're my friends. And I'm theirs', and that's why I have to help them. We have to work together to combat this despair.'

"So what do you say Aki?" Jonathan asked. "Or are you really such an idiot that you're going to choose to die?"

"You're not a coward are you? What are you waiting for, let's get back to work shall we?" Yasuke asked.

"Well Monsieur Alice?" Connie asked.

"Are you onboard Myo-kun hebi?" Azami asked.

I smiled at them and then I chuckled. "You guys, thank you. Thank you so much, if you weren't here I don't know what I would have done. You're right, we can't stop now. We vowed at the very start to not grant the Mastermind's wishes and give into despair, so what if things are even crazier now? Our goal still remains the same. Beat this game and go home. All of us are going home and there's nothing Ultimate Despair can do to stop us!" I exclaimed bodly.

Deva laughed loudly. "There's the Akira that we all know and love!"

Mukuro smiled slightly. "It's good to have you back to normal."

Then Monokuma ruined the moment by speaking up. He groaned loudly. "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! What the hell is this boring show?! This isn't exciting at all! What happened to the mystery dammit?! All you've done for ten fucking minutes is go back and forth spouting nonsensical bullshit about how you're all friends and you need to work together and blah, blah, blah, blah! Quit going in endless circles already!" Monokuma's red eye began to glow with anger. "I'm getting sick of this sappy, mushy garbage! Just make a damn decision about what you want to do already! Here I'll make it real fucking easy for you! Imagine two choices are in front of you, one is telling you to stop playing and end the despair and the other choice is telling you to continue playing and try and fight the despair! Now which one do you fucking choose?!"

"It's not even a question I have to think over, we're going to play and we're going to win!" I shouted at Monokuma.

"You tell him Maita-san!" Aya exclaimed.

"Ultimate Despair's days are numbered Mr. Monokuma!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Let's solve this mystery once and for all," said Jose.

"I'm ready, let's end this," said Chihiro in a confident tone.

"Aww, take charge Chihiro-chan! So kawaii I'm going to die!" Cam proudly exclaimed.

"S-Stop it. Yo-You're going to make me d-die of em-embar-embarrassment," Chihiro stuttered out with a deep red blush spread across her cheeks.

Then the hopeful atmosphere was disrupted by the most unlikely of individuals, the Ultimate Hope himself. Izuru sighed loudly. "Just as I thought, even something as interesting as this real-life murder mystery game wasn't enough. Such a pity, I was really hoping it would work this time. What's wrong I wonder? We've got an interesting mystery set up, a good and appealable cast of characters, and a very clear and dark plot set up. But still, something's missing. Something's missing from this game to keep my full interest. That's why my dear teammates, it is with a heavy heart that I withdraw myself from this game's proceedings."

"…" Everyone went silent upon hearing what Izuru had said.

"W-Withdraw, what are you talking about exactly Izuru-kun?" Monokuma asked. It looked like he was also a bit unnerved.

"I quit. I don't want to play this game anymore," Izuru simply replied.

"Q-Quit? Hey wait a second, you can't just quit playing when you feel like it!" Monokuma shouted. "You only get to quit when I fill with you despair and only when everyone else agrees to quit too! But neither of those things are happening here! You don't feel any despair at all even with all that's happened and what you've heard, and now you want to quit when everyone else has reached a hopeful turning point?! What the hell is the matter with you?!"

"I'm bored," Izuru replied.

"You're bored?! That's it?! Well suck it up and play nice with the others, if they feel hopeful then you have to feel hopeful too so I can crush you all with despair! You going in a different direction is not in the script I set up for this!" Monokuma shouted.

"Sorry, I can't help that I feel bored. That's just the way that I feel right now, I can't change it no matter what I, or you, or anyone else does for that matter. This game has been officially declared boring by me. I will not change my mind," Izuru said defiantly.

"Kamukura-kun, what are you saying?" I asked. "I thought we decided to finish the game together and fight Ultimate Despair?"

"I have no interest in either of those things," said Izuru.

"What?" I replied.

"I've already told you. I only waste my time on people and things that peek my interest, I have a very short attention span. You see, it's the downside to my talent," Izuru explained. "I am the Ultimate Hope. Essentially my talent is possessing talent. By observing another person's talent I can record it and then make the talent my own. This is due to superior intellect which the likes of you have never seen before."

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense," I said.

"Did you know that an average human being can only use up to 10% of their brain? People like you Maita-kun who have no talent at all must work hard to obtain success in life. Then there's the talented people in the world, mainly the Ultimate high schoolers. Their brains have access to a slightly large percentage of their brain which they devote entirely to developing their talent. So above average humans can use roughly 15-20% of their brain's capacity. But you see, I'm special. Unlike the rest of the Ultimate high schoolers I was not born with talent, it was given to me," Izuru explained.

"Given to you? What do you mean by that?" Micho asked.

"I'm an experiment gone wrong if you will," Izuru replied.

"An experiment?" Nodaka repeated the word with bizarre bewilderment.

"I used to be a normal kid just like Maita-kun, in fact you might even say I was too normal." He looked directly at me. "I was completely and utterly normal. I was barely even a person, I completely blended in with the background. I was an only child and my parents were never around, I had no friends whatsoever, every time someone even looked at me they looked through me like I was almost invisible. It didn't even really matter if I went to school or not, no actually it didn't even really matter if I lived or died. I was completely invisible to the world. No one would miss me which is why I was taken in by Hope's Peak Academy to be used as a lab rat."

"Hope's Peak Academy was who experimented on you?" I asked.

"You know that the teachers and faculty are all scientists who run the academy for the sole purpose of researching and cultivating the world's talent, right? The school was just a means to an end to get talented kids to come so the scientists could study them. But about a year ago, or actually I guess it would be several years ago now, wouldn't it? Anyway, the scientists believed that they could further their studies by taking all the information they learned about talent's interaction with the brain and trying to manipulate the brain of an untalented person. If they could somehow give talent to an untalented person then this could prove to be a stepping stone to unlocking a new chain in the human genome, there for creating a new and superior human race. That was their goal at least. So they took someone that no one would miss and used them as a guinea pig to achieve that goal."

My eyes widened in fear. "No way…the Academy actually did something so horrible to you?"

Izuru smiled. "Yes, and not one of them felt remorseful for it. They cut open my head and snipped and prodded at my brain, taking away any memories of my past life and my basic personality in the process so they could remake me from scratch. Izuru Kamukura isn't even my real name, it was given to me."

"Wait, Izuru Kamukura, of course how could I forgotten something so important?" Micho asked herself. "Izuru Kamukura was the name of the original founder of Hope's Peak Academy."

"Yes, a fitting name for the next step in human evolution. Thus the Izuru Kamukura Project or more accurately the Hope Cultivation Project was born, the academy took me in and completely erased my memories using the knowledge that they obtained from the studies of the Ultimate Neurologist," Izuru explained.

Yasuke's eyes widened. "Wait, you're kidding?! Those bastards used my research to perform some fucked up experiment like that?!"

"Oh so you didn't know?" Izuru asked. Then he scoffed and said, "I guess that just shows that you never know what someone is truly capable of do you?" Then he sighed. "But even after all that they put me through, I didn't quite meet their expectations. It turned out that they made me too brilliant, each test and puzzle they put me through took only minutes to complete. Eventually it got to the point where I even started to look down upon the scientist that created me. The monster had risen above his creators. They began to fear me, which they were smart to do. Compared to them, I am no less than a god. I was and still am the smartest being in all of existence. But that knowledge came at a price. Like I said, they took away my personality and all of my memories and feelings that went along with it. They made me a blank slate and filled that slate with nothing but knowledge, but they forgot to add one crucial component. Anyone care to guess what that was?"

'I can only think of one thing,' I thought to myself. I asked my other self to answer the question and then replied, "The knowledge didn't restore your feelings, did it?"

Izuru chuckled. "No, it didn't. They broke me permanently. I could learn the definition of emotions, the verbal and physical responses for each of them, and even ways to approach others when these conflicting feelings arise. But as for myself, I could no longer feel anything. Happiness, joy, anger, hate, sadness, love, these were all foreign to me. So close yet unobtainable. I can't laugh without sounding maniacal or sarcastic, I can't get angry or show any signs of rage making me purely passive, and I can no longer cry. I am emotionless. I feel nothing towards anyone or anything. I am a true monster, so do you understand why they wanted to get rid of me? Why they wanted to get rid of their mistake? Or even why they couldn't?"

"Because of who you were?" Jonathan replied.

"Exactly, even if I was no longer human it didn't change the fact that I once was. I threatened to expose their deeds to the world in order to maintain my survival. And it worked. They realized that if word go out that they had created a monster that would be the end of their precious empire, I would make sure that it all came crumbling down brick by brick." Then he smiled. "But you see they didn't realize something else, that I would never truly do that because it would be boring."

"Boring? There you go again with that word. What do you mean by boring?" I asked.

"My intellect does more than allow me to know everything there is to know, it also allows me to predict what shall happen in the future. You can call it fortune telling, or divination, or whatever you like. But the truth is that it's all just logic. If word got out that I was created there would be uproar, students would withdraw out of fear that they would be used as guinea pigs as well. And then without any students the school would be inevitably forced to shut down operations, thus losing the grants given to them by alumni, who would no longer wish to be associated with the name of Hope's Peak. But that wouldn't be the end of it. A major social issue would arise. If Hope's Peak can't be trusted to help shape the future, then who can we really trust in the end? If monsters could arise and survive in this world, then what's the point of maintaining order and striving to be what society wants us to be? Mankind's very logic and order would be called into question. And the people who questioned it would then begin to experiment with the dark side of society. Chaos would erupt from the recesses of society's false sense of order. Anarchy would rain down upon order until all of society was crushed. Then darkness would seep in and poison mankind's mind, causing violence and insanity to appear in every single individual. A proverbial hell on earth would be created. And in the end mankind would kill itself to escape that false reality that it had lived in for so long."

"…" we were literally speechless. All of what Izuru thought would happen to the world did in fact happen, almost exactly the way he predicted it would.

"And I alone would remain, not being part of mankind. I would be alone in a barren wasteland of a world. All alone in darkness, just how I entered this world. A boring end. I did not want to see that boring outcome occur so that's why I stayed quiet on the sole condition that I could experience life once again in order to judge its fate. But sadly what I have observed since then is quite disappointing, even without my meddling I could tell the world was heading towards that boring end on its own. To me, mankind is so dull and uninteresting; one way or another, it will all end in death and destruction. The world is too simple, too single-minded, people kill each other every day through war, phamon, and pestilence. Death is the only natural outcome for the world. It's a boring and tragic fate. Which is why I live for moments of uncertainty and mystery, something that I thought this mutual killing game would provide me with." Then he sighed again. "But sadly those moments for me only last for a short while before my mind of infinite knowledge brings forth an ordered and certain solution for the short-lived moment of uncertainty. My knowledge is a curse, I'm fully aware of this but no matter how much I wish for it nothing will ever change. Yet another boring and tragic fate is the fate of the boy Izuru Kamukura…or whatever my real name is."

"So what you're saying is that you knew it would all come to this?" I asked.

"Some factors are a tad different but the outcome shall be the same believe me, which is why I choose to quit here and now. I was certain that you all would choose to fight Ultimate Despair, which is why I was ready to go along with your original plan to end your pain and suffering by choosing to quit playing. And now since we've reached the outcome that was certain to happen, I no longer wish to play. Which is why I say that the game has become boring. I already know all the answers, the few pieces to this puzzle that you all came in contact with fit together but unfortunately without the two key pieces of evidence you will never fill in the gaps. But since I no longer wish to play I have no need to keep holding back from you. I shall give you those two pieces of the puzzle if you can prove to me that you truly want to go down this boring route to the end."

"Wait, so does that mean that even if we choose to fight, the end is still gonna be the same?" Nate asked uneasily.

"Don't listen to him anymore!" Yasuke exclaimed. "Don't you see what he's offering?! He's saying that he's giving up his charade and giving u the answer, let's just take it from him and get this all over with and done!"

"Yeah, we can sort this all out after we know for sure that we're safe," Nodaka agreed.

"Uh, okay then, Kamukura-kun you put up a good fight so I humbly accept your decree of defeat," said Micho.

"So what's the evidence that we're missing exactly?" I asked.

"One of the pieces to the puzzle, you should already know if you remember what I talked about throughout the case," said Izuru.

'What Izuru talked about throughout the case?' I repeated to myself. 'If I remember correctly what he talked about on several occasions was…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied out loud, "The school profiles!" I exclaimed.

"Correct as always," Izuru replied. "Hidden in the headmaster's office is a gray binder which contains all of the students' profiles, including the ones involved in the original mutual killing game and ours as well. Mine is…discreet to say the least but everyone else has quite a fair amount of information in their profiles."

"So what you're saying is that we need to see the student profiles for ourselves?" asked Aya.

"Well what are you waiting for Izu? Fork it over," Jonathan ordered.

"I don't have it on me," Izuru replied. "But someone else does." The Ultimate Hope's eyes trailed over to the Ultimate Lucky Student.

"…" Nagito stood silently as the rest of us looked over at him. He wore a small smile on his face and his arms were crossed in a sort of smug way.

"Komaeda-kun?" I asked in response to Izuru's tell.

"So that's what you were hiding, you sneaky little rat," said Jose.

Nagito chuckled. "A rat? Even if I am just worthless trash, is that still a way you should address your senpai, Jose-kun?"

"Come on, enough games already!" Nodaka shouted. "Just hand over the student profiles!"

"You heard them Komaeda-kun, hand them over. I know you have them, you left the chemistry lab after me after all. There was a reason you didn't go back and tell the others after what I told you, wasn't there?" Izuru asked. "While I appreciate you trying to make things more interesting I said I was done playing so there's no reason for you to play these games anymore. They aren't amusing." It was weird, Izuru was trying to help us for once.

"You're supposed to be his servant, right?" Keiko asked. "Then by all means listen to his orders at once."

"Well Komaeda-kun, can we have the student profiles? Please, we need them to solve this case," I pleaded with Nagito.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening," Nagito replied in a playful tone. "What do you need again?"

"Don't fuck with us asshole!" Yasuke shouted. "Give us the damn binder already!"

"Enough games Komaeda-kun, let's end this already," said Izuru.

Nagito frowned. "You…disappoint me Izuru-kun," he simply said.

"I beg your pardon?" Izuru replied, seeming surprised at Nagito's response.

Nagito chuckled. "This game's gotten boring you say? I disagree completely, I say this game's just getting exciting." Nagito's crazy eyes returned. "By working together to overcome these great odds the Ultimates are increasing their hope tenfold. But just having them solve the mystery by handing them such a big clue is just too simple. Now that's a boring ending. The audience will totally be expecting that. If you want uncertainty in a game then I say that you should make the uncertainties happen yourself, for instance…" Nagito reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out a gray binder which had the words _HPA Student Profiles_ on it inside of the crest of Hope's Peak Academy. Then he held the binder up in his hands. "…the cumulative files inside this binder you all want so desperately is virtually worthless."

"What?" I replied.

"Izuru-kun is the one who's lying to you, he's been lying from the get-go. I was hoping that you guys being Ultimates would be able to figure it out on your own but it appears that you do need my help after all," Nagito said as he smiled gleefully. "But that's okay too, you guys are right after all. I am a servant, a servant of hope." Then he frowned again, "But sadly the person with the title of Ultimate Hope greatly disappoints me even now. A person brimming with hope would never simply quit just because they were bored. That act speaks to that person's character in saying that they are about as mature as a four year old. The answers that Izuru-kun speak of are all lies. The contents of this bulky binder are just meaningless details, I even have my own section in here. That fact alone proves that this information is just garbage."

"Where do you get off?! Give it to us and let us decide that for ourselves!" Yasuke shouted, getting annoyed with Nagito.

"All and all I'd say there's about two details that you need to know," said Nagito, completely ignoring Yasuke. "One. The basis of the progression of the crime that we have had is proven wrong by a single detail, a detail which Izuru-kun let slip out in our debate a little while ago. And two…" Nagito smiled again. "…quote Ben Kenobi, _"There is another"_. That is all you really need to know."

"Wait, our information is in there as well, right?" Micho asked.

"Now like I said before, everything else is meaningless," Nagito completely ignored our words. Then the Ultimate Lucky Student reached into his right coat pocket and pulled out yet another interesting item. It was a small blue device which I recognized immediately to be a lighter.

"Komaeda-kun, what did you man when you said there is another?" I asked.

Nagito clicked the lighter and then a small blue flame erupted from the torch head. "Meaningless words, none of it matters," Nagito said to no one in particular as he held the lighter underneath the binder.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Jonathan asked.

"Somebody stop him!" Nodaka shouted.

But it was too late. It only took a second for the binder to catch fire, and within moments the student profiles were engulfed in flames. Nagito threw the flaming binder across the room, making us all flinch in fear. "Whoa, emergency, emergency!" Monokuma shouted. "Fire, fire, quick stop, drop and roll!" Then several Monokumas, holding fire extinguishers, appeared in the room and quickly put out the fire. But by that time, the binder and all its contents had become scorched and unsalvageable. We all looked at Nagito with a terrified look in our eyes.

"You psycho, what the hell is the matter with you?!" Nodaka screamed.

"Who just starts a fire like it's no big deal?!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Nagito's unbelievably bat shit crazy!" Nate shouted.

Nagito replied with laughter. "I'm not crazy, I'm nobody. Who are you? Are you nobody too?"

"He's seriously just playing with us," said Cam.

"I never would've thought he would start a fire to mess with us," said Jose. "He really is a terrifying individual."

"The madness trumps even that of le Mad Hatter, no?!" Connie shouted.

"K-Komaeda-kun?" I was literally speechless. I stood completely still while my eyes were transfixed on Nagito's eyes. I couldn't even see anyone staring back at me. All that remained was despair, despair crudely twisted and manipulated to resemble hope.

"That was our last chance you fucking idiot!" Yasuke shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Well…I have to admit that I did not predict that would happen," said Izuru. "He certainly is a frightening individual isn't he? I wonder if we can even trust his words. Probably not, right?"

And then it came to me. It wasn't despair this time, no. It was a realization. Something was coming to me. Izuru and Nagito's words. The meaning of them was on the tip of my tongue.

* * *

HANGMAN'S GAMBIT

* * *

Once again, I cleared my mind of all other thoughts and then hundreds of letters entered my mind. They appeared to be random but I felt like the answer was hiding among them.

B-A-E-T-O-Y-T-P-A-S-Q-C-C-F-O-L-S-T

P-X-D-K-L-U-R-R-W-I-E-Q-D-U-T-I-E-C

U-I-N-E-E-R-B-R-M-O-T-S-O-Y-C-O-T-L

V-P-K-K-O-R-T-C-N-S-U-J-U-O-P-E-U-P

H-G-P-R-O-P-U-Y-N-O-D-A-K-A-O-P-H

(Need a five letter word)

'S-E-T-U-P. Setup! That's it!' I exclaimed.

COMPLETE!

* * *

I opened my eyes again and I looked from Nagito to Izuru. "Both of you. Both of you already know the answer but are refusing to share it with the rest of us. Why is that exactly?"

"Wait, are you seriously asking that, Aki?" Jonathan asked. "It's because they're both fucking lunatics, there's no reason behind it idiot."

"But is it really okay to just paint it black and white like that?" I replied.

"Why not, black and white are excellent colors? I pull them off quite nicely, don't you think?" Monokuma asked.

"Shut up, no one's talking to you, you damn bear!" Deva shouted

"Right-o, shutting up now!" Monokuma replied.

"No actually, I think there's something else going on here. I think this was all a setup from the very beginning," I explained.

"A setup, what do you mean?" Micho asked.

"I think we might've been wrong about something…no, actually I think we've been wrong since the very beginning. Our original assumption about the murder, the suspects involved…I don't want to admit it but I think this is the only way to explain the rut that we've gotten ourselves stuck in," I explained.

"What do you mean by rut, dude?" Nate asked. "The answers were in the student profiles, we would've been okay if Nagito had just let us read them but since they're gone now all we have are those two cryptic clues that the son of bitch left us."

"But that's my point," I replied. "Why did Komaeda-kun give us those clues at all? I mean, it's clear that by destroying the student profiles there was something inside the binder that he didn't want us to see but if he really wanted to leave us in the dark he wouldn't have said anything at all, would he?"

"But he didn't want to leave us in the dark," Chihiro replied. "According to Komaeda-san, he just wants us to have more of a challenge so we can increase our hopes or whatever."

"Actually, I think that might've just been an excuse. What if Komaeda-kun was actually trying to help us?" I asked.

"I wanted to help you, you say?" Nagito replied. "I don't seem to recall ever mentioning that before. What makes you think that, Akira-kun?" Nagito asked.

'Seriously? I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt and you're questioning me too?' I thought to myself as I sweatdropped. "I can't really explain it, it's just sort of a theory I came up with," I replied.

"A theory? Is that it? Hmm, then maybe I did what I did simply because I am crazy," Nagito replied.

'No Nagito you may be a little abnormal, but you're not crazy. Your world views may be demented and dark but you're not crazy. I know it, but what I don't get is why are you trying so hard to convince everyone you're crazy? You're hiding something, and there's one person I know who can prove it,' I thought to myself.

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

I glanced over each one of my friends and saw that they appeared to be confused and scared, until I stopped on the one person I knew who was guilty of something for sure and could also help me prove my theory. Izuru Kamukura. "It could only be you!"

* * *

A/N: Do you guys know what Akira's theory is and what he thinks Izuru did? If so good for you!

Reply: Thanks!

Sorry, watched the "Smug Alert" episode of _South Park_ the other day and I felt like using that joke. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that emotional and surprising chapter. Till next time.


	15. Prologue, Part 13

A/N: Maestro – Here it is, the climax has been reached at last! (Pause for dramatic effect) Now stay with me because the answer to the mystery of who killed Hajime Hinata is a very long and depressing one. The true killer has oh so much despair, it has warped their mind into a horrid mess of insanity. When faced with an opponent such as this will the students be able to hold out till the end? First thing's first do you know who the killer is?

Monokuma – I know who it is!

Maestro – (*Gasp*) Monokuma when did you get here?!

Monokuma – I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by. Remember, while the main me is still hosting the class trial I've still got hundreds of more me's to check up on things. Gathering information is Monokuma's specialty, don't you know? (Turns to face audience) And to all of you watching at home I suggest that you prepare to be filled with despair as learning the truth is sure to make you saddened, disgusted, and angry at me all at once! The Triforce of Despair!

Maestro – Give it a rest already, everyone's sick of this never-ending suspense buildup. They want to know whodunit already so can we please just get on with the show!

Monokuma – Not just yet, the more they wait. The more they feel despair. So let's take a few seconds to remind them of a few things. One, the people in this story are both alive and dead. Some dead in different ways than you know they died in, some people who should be dead are somehow alive, and some people who should be alive are somehow dead. You're probably just dying to know the answers to these mysteries that keep arising, aren't you? Well I'm afraid that we're not gonna spoil all the surprises just yet. Where's the fun in that after all? So until then I suggest that you stop worrying about those little details and just focus on the mysteries given to the students. Try your luck to see if you can reach the conclusion before my dimwitted extracurricular course students can.

Maestro – Hey they're not dimwitted. I'll have you know that since the game started we've only received positive reviews concerning them.

Monokuma – Then why did you make a poll on your bio page to vote on who gets picked off first?

Maestro – That's not what the poll's about at all! It concerns free-time events! I'm going to have the audience pick who Akira gets to spend free-time with! (Looks to the audience) The student with the most votes gets the first free-time go around and then the one with the second most votes gets the second go around and then so on and so on in that order. Limit is two votes per person so choose wisely amongst Akira's friends. Now without further ado, let's get on with the show!

Monokuma – One second, I've got to put my brand on this. Ahem, this has been a Monokuma Teaser Moment. Please look forward to talking with us again during the next class trial.

Maestro – Wait you're coming back?

Monokuma – (Blatantly ignores me) Now without further ado…it's Punishment Ti…! Oops, too early right? Spoliers, spoilers, spoilers. ~

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Prologue, Part 13: Carbon copy, Part 1**

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

I glanced over each one of my friends and saw that they appeared to be confused and scared, until I stopped on the one person I knew who was guilty of something for sure and could also help me prove my theory. Izuru Kamukura. "It could only be you!"

"Kamakura-kun, there's something I want to ask you. How exactly did you know that Komaeda-kun had the student profiles on him?" I asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Izuru replied. "I already told you, he left the chemistry lab after me. I knew he was up to something, it was just a guess really. But a guess from me so completely accurate," he added while shrugging his shoulders.

'I knew it. He completely tiptoed around the question. He is hiding something, something big,' I thought to myself. I looked back and forth between Nagito and Izuru. 'They both claim to have the answers but…is that really the truth? No it isn't, I have a gut feeling about it. And if I'm right, then that proves that we've been thinking about this crime wrong the whole time.'

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

"It's just like I thought," I said aloud. "We've been **setup** from the beginning. Someone else besides the Mastermind is pulling the strings behind the class trial."

"Someone else is pulling the strings?" Jonathan repeated. "What do you mean, Aki?

"Are you talking about **the killer** , do you think he pulled another trick on us?" Micho asked.

"Oh goddammit seriously?!" Nate exclaimed. "What kind of twisted and manipulative SOB is this killer?!"

"I think you answered your own question," Sawa replied.

"No it's not the killer," I replied.

"What do you mean it's not the killer? I thought we narrowed things down already to **those four girls** , remember?" Yasuke asked in annoyance.

"Come to think of it, weren't you saying we might've missed a girl Kira Oniii-chan?" Beigoma asked.

"Yes, and that missing girl is proof that someone **has screwed up our way of thinking**. And that person is Izuru Kamukura!" I proclaimed.

"…" Izuru remained quiet.

"Izuru-kun did something mischievous again, eh? Wouldn't be the first time," Nagito said with a smile.

"Hang on, hang on," said Nodaka. "I thought we were all **supposed to be working together**? What's with the sudden civil war?" She rubbed her shoulder in an uneasy way. "I mean I want to believe you but if we're going to start fighting amongst ourselves now then I'd like you to explain why at least."

Izuru scoffed. "I agree with you Maita-kun. **Someone has messed up our debate** , whether you all are aware of it or not."

"Wait seriously? One of us is trying to **mess us up on purpose**?" Micho asked with a fearful look on her face.

"Of all the cowardly things!" Keiko exclaimed. "Who is it? Show your face now, you evil cad."

"Hang on, hang on, what happened to being friends?" Beigoma asked. "I don't want us to stop trusting each other. We've got to work together."

"I don't want to stop trusting anyone here either," I replied. "But that doesn't change the fact that someone is trying to mess with us, isn't that right Kamukura-kun?"

"I get it already. You think I'm trying to derail this trial, right?" he asked. "Don't you have any brains? I already said before that I don't care what happens anymore, I was trying to help you remember?" He cast his gaze in Nagito's direction. "If anyone's trying to impede your progress it's Komaeda-kun. He **destroyed the evidence** needed to win after all. Luckily, I memorized it beforehand. Do you want to hear what it says?"

"What, why didn't you say anything beforehand?" Shiro asked. "Tell us, please tell us!"

"I already told you what you need to know, remember?" Nagito asked.

"Oh yeah, like those cryptic words you said pass for information," Jonathan replied. "Maybe Izu is right about you."

"No, Komaeda-kun is the one who's actually trying to help us. Kamukura-kun is the one who's trying to derail us," I protested.

"Seriously? But Izuru totally saved us earlier with that whole Junko business," Nate replied. "Plus he gathered up all those clues and helped us with the **red herrings**. Why would he do something like this now?"

Nate made a good point. "Um…I'm not sure. Why would he do that?" I asked myself. I felt like I knew the answer for sure but I just couldn't put it into words. Frustrating people like Izuru really made it hard to think straight.

Micho sighed and said, "As much as I hate his attitude, I have to admit that he has been pretty helpful. Maita-kun, do you have anything solid to base your claim off of?"

"Well…uh…," I replied. All I had was my gut feeling to go off on.

Izuru cut me off. "Komaeda-kun why don't you admit it already? You burned the student profiles because the truth is that you don't want us to succeed. You already admitted that you wish to die, you're just trying to bring us down to your **martyr level** ," said Izuru.

"I guess I can't really hold a candle to the Ultimate Hope after all. Maybe I am just lying, who's to say? Who's to question everything we've come across so far? I think the suspects and **the crime scene** speak for itself," Nagito replied cryptically.

"So you admit it then, you are a coward and a traitor," said Keiko.

Deva sighed. "Can you guys just pick a creep to railroad already? This is getting hella boring you know?"

'Could Izuru be telling the truth? Nagito doesn't seem to be defending himself at all. It's like he doesn't even care if he gets branded a traitor. Everybody's ready to throw him under the bridge. Even I'm starting to distrust him. No, no, I can't think like that. There's evidence that proves my theory of Izuru's meddling and there's something to support it in our debate as well,' I thought to myself. (Ammunition needed: **Izuru's testimony** , Contradiction to agree with: **"the crime scene"**.) "I agree with that!" I exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"That's it!" I exclaimed as insight filled me. "Remember who the first person to discover the crime scene was?" I asked everybody.

"It was Kamukura-san, wasn't it?" Aya asked. "What about it?"

"Well from what he told us in his testimony about the way the crime scene first looked he said that Hinata-kun was wearing one of Kyoko Kirigiri's gloves and that he removed it so he could investigate. Then he said that he checked the mysterious biology lab and found the glove's missing twin and the murder weapon inside one of the cold storage units," I explained. "Since Hinata-kun was wearing the other glove Izuru surmised that Hinata-kun was using the gloves in an effort to commit murder. And that's the impression that we've gone with since then, treating the gloves like a red herring to frame Kyoko Kirigiri."

"Yes, yes, I recall my own words fine, thank you very much. What I want to know is how does that prove I'm trying to derail the investigation?" Izuru asked.

"It's simple. I think you were lying about your investigation," I replied.

"You think I was lying? What would be the point of lying to you all about what I found?" Izuru asked. "You seem to be forgetting that our lives are on the line here. It seems quite unlikely that I would lie about my findings."

"But you just said a little while that you don't care what happens, if we win or lose. That makes me think that maybe, you've thought that way the whole time."

Izuru scoffed. "Even I'm not that psychotic. This game was interesting to me before, I wanted to solve the mystery just like you. Why would I want to derail it and make you all lose?"

"Uncertainty," I replied.

"Eh?"

"You said yourself, what makes life interesting is the uncertainty of the outcome. You claimed that you already know who the killer was, I wonder wouldn't such an easy mystery be boring to you? What if instead, you decided to spice things up to give you that rush of uncertainty? If you manipulated the mystery even a little then even you might not have any idea about what would happen. I think you deliberately strung us along at the very start of the class trial in order to lead us to this exact moment. The lies that you've sewn into the trial run so deep that we're unable to comprehend what could happen anymore. Uncertainty, that's what you live for right Kamukura-kun?"

Izuru chuckled. "That's a nice theory, but it doesn't prove anything. Every word I spoke thus far was the truth, even if I was bored about the outcome of the mystery I wouldn't stoop so far as to lure you all into a trap of uncertainty just so I could be entertained. You make me sound as if I'm no better than the Mastermind. Though I will admit to solving the mystery easily, let me say that it was still fun watching you all try to figure things out on your own. Even if I can't experience any uncertainty of my own, I was still able to watch all of yours' front and center."

He was good, but I was on to his tricks. I knew exactly what he had lied about. "Would you just stop lying already? I won't let you fool me anymore."

"Grilling and doubting my claims is exactly what Komaeda-kun wants you know?" he replied.

"The only thing Komaeda-kun is guilty of is being delusional," I replied. "He's not pulling the strings here. You are, and he's just your puppet. That's what we all are to you isn't it? We're just your puppets made to amuse you, right?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that," Izuru replied.

"Okay then, can you tell us more about the gloves then? You said you saw Hinata-kun wearing one of the gloves before you pulled it off, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Izuru replied coolly.

"And no one else can confirm this?" I asked.

"I feel like we've been down this line of questioning before, you're starting to sound an awful lot like Auruka-chan, you know?"

"That was my bad for giving you an out, I didn't know what kind of person you were back then but after hearing your story I think I understand you completely now," I said. "You've made it very clear that life doesn't matter to you, no matter what you claimed before these are your true feelings you can't hide that. I know you lied, Hinata-kun didn't try to commit murder and you didn't find him wearing that glove. Admit it."

"How do you know I'm lying?" Izuru asked. "Is it just your gut again?"

"No this time I have proof, you might not realize it but you dug your own grave a while ago," I replied confidently.

"Oh I did now, well then by all means pre tell?"

"Earlier when we were going over the personal objects of the students and you mentioned the contents of the student profiles," I explained.

Flashback:

" _Now how about the gloves? Besides Hinata-kun, who also wore them?" Izuru asked._

' _It could only be…' I asked my other self the same question and then replied, "Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Those gloves were sort of like her signature feature."_

" _Indeed, her student profile mentioned that she wore them to hide several nasty scars on her hands that she received in her past. The profile also mentioned that_ _ **those gloves were tailored fit for her own hands**_ _so it makes sense that she'd wear them all the time. And since Hinata-kun used them to frame her that suggest strongly that she's also dead," Izuru explained._

"You said yourself that Kirigiri-san's gloves were tailored fit for her own hands. Doesn't it seem odd that Hinata-kun would wear gloves that wouldn't even fit him? Though they were covered in blood and definitely used in the murder you deliberately misled us into thinking this lie, and in the process try to inflict blame on Hinata-kun and make us think that he planned to commit murder as well."

"Are you sure? Maybe the blood that was on the gloves was Hinata-kun's blood, meaning he still could have worn them," said Izuru.

"That blood is most likely Hinata-kun's but it would be odd to dirty the palms with your own blood by wearing them. And if you recall the blood was very concentrated in the palm area of the gloves. That and the fact that Hinata-kun couldn't have worn them because they were tailored for Kirigiri-san's hands. Only she or another girl with a similar hand-size could wear them. But a boy, like Hinata-kun, wouldn't possibly be able to wear them," I explained.

"That is a good point," said Micho. "No…as a matter of fact, it makes perfect sense. I knew there was a problem with the theory about the gloves but I just couldn't see it." The she looked to Izuru. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you so easily, you really did lie about everything."

"You really were lying, dammit I ought to throttle your little neck!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"Save a piece for me Ya, Izu is going down!" Jonathan shouted.

"Due, you tricked us?! I can't believe I trusted you!" Nate exclaimed.

"You seriously trusted him?! Even after saying we were friends I trusted him about as far as I could throw him!" Nodaka shouted.

"So wait, Haji-chan wasn't planning on committing murder after all?" Shiro asked in a calm tone.

"No, it's obvious if you look at…" I asked my other self to help me make a decision and then I finished my thought, "…the box we found in the garden. Remember the message carved inside that you read Shirobane-kun?"

Flashback:

 _Shiro cleared his throat and then read aloud the contents of the mysterious message engraved on the top of the box. "Whoever finds this message, I offer to you a warning that would be in your best interest to heed. I have a feeling my time is almost up, I can feel the despair in the air. It's thick and heavy, every time I breathe I feel like an ounce of my will to live drains from my body. The others are dead, their deaths self-inflicted, or so I thought. But I knew these people, they would never, especially not him. Which is why this whole mystery puzzled me for so long, why are we here? What did we do to deserve this horrible fate? Why do we choose death over life? These questions confounded me but now I think I finally understand. The dead live on. They live on through another medium. I know who's responsible for all this now. That person, they manipulated us one by one and corrupted us and dragged us into the pits of despair."_

 _Shiro continued to read on. "Though that person may be gone now, gone like the others, it was only to cast our doubt away from them. They are still here, watching, waiting, they've corrupted her now. She's gone even if she doesn't know it yet. I am all alone. She will find this eventually, only a matter of time. But I must stall her for as long as I can, and maybe just maybe I can bring the others back to. If that person was able to live in that most horrible way then maybe there's a chance that others can live on in the same way. I saw him after all, even though he might have been a tad different."_

 _There was still a bit more. "And to the girl I love, if you are the one who finds this and not the person controlling you, fight them, fight them with all your might. Those are my final wishes, but if this truly is all for not and you do end up killing me under that person's control then I just want you to know, I love you. I don't care who you pretended to be, it doesn't matter anymore. I love the girl who I know is still somewhere inside that web of darkness cast by that horrible person. If there is any justice in this horrible, nightmarish world at all they will burn in hell for all eternity. The weapon is the trigger to the darkness. As long as she doesn't get it that person has no power over her. She'd find it anywhere else, that person's eyes are everywhere and that person manipulates her every move. This may be the end but if that is the case then I would rather be killed by her hands than my own. I choose murder over suicide. That person will not get me!"_

"So that explains why Haji-chan's actions and feelings were different. He never acted on any kind of despair, but instead he accepted death by his beloved's hands. There's something very Shakespearean about that," Shiro said with a small smile.

"And I think the gloves only help solidify the theory that the killer is female," I added. "But like I said before, I think we've overlooked something about the girls. I can't really see any of the girls we have leftover as suspects as Hinata-kun's girlfriend."

"But then who else is there?" Jonathan asked. "Do we seriously have to go over each and every girl again?"

"No, I don't think that's it," Beigoma replied.

"Kiyoshi-san, did you come up with something?" I asked.

Beigoma seemed uneasy. "I think there might've been an extra girl here like you said Kira Onii-chan."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Nodaka exclaimed. "There's only twenty-eight students, not twenty-nine! Even Monokuma wouldn't stop so low as to hold back another student!" Then she glared at Beigoma. "And another thing, will you stop calling him Onii-chan already! He has to find that annoying!"

"Actually I don't really mind," I said like it was nothing.

Nodaka gasped and looked away with a disgruntled expression on her face. It sounded like she mumbled something along the lines of, "Jerk…idiot…"

"Anyway," said Micho as she was trying to cut through the awkwardness. "I think Hoshi-chan is right, we know all the girls besides those four are dead and we can't just assume that there was another student since Monokuma has been very adamant about the fact that there were only twenty-eight."

"That's right, only twenty-eight players for the last round. We've got less players this time but something tells me you guys will put on a far better show," said Monokuma.

Jose scoffed. "You guys haven't noticed it yet?" he asked.

"Noticed what?" Cam asked.

"We've talked about every single Ultimate suspect except for one," he explained. "Here let me roll it down for you. We've talked about the Ultimate Lucky Student, the Ultimate Pop Sensation, the Ultimate Baseball Star, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, the Ultimate Fanfic creator, the Ultimate Moral Compass, The Ultimate Gambler, the Ultimate Martial Artist, the Ultimate Swimming Pro, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, the Ultimate Detective, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, the Ultimate Cook, the Ultimate Photographer, the Ultimate Swordswoman, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, the Ultimate Musician, the Ultimate Nurse, the Ultimate Team Manager, the Ultimate Animal Breeder, the Ultimate Yakuza, the Ultimate Mechanic, the Ultimate Princess, and the Ultimate Gymnast. Excluding Hinata-san who isn't an Ultimate anything we're down to one. Who's the odd man out?"

Then insight slowly sunk into all of us as we realized the identity of the killer. It could only be one person.

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

Once again I looked up at the large tapestries of the students hanging on the walls. My eyes fixed onto one tapestry in particular. A tapestry which simply held a picture of a silhouette with a question mark on the face. The tapestry represented the person who had proven to be the most mysterious by far. Virtually nothing was known about the person and it was hard to make evidence stick but if we are really right about this then the killer could only be this elusive person. The Ultimate Imposter. "It could only be you!" I exclaimed.

"The Ultimate Imposter, it could only be them!" I exclaimed. It looked like everyone else reached the same conclusion as well. The faces of my friends were a mix of sadness, happiness, and bewilderment.

"I-It's really over. W-We did it," said Micho. "We did it! We won!"

"Seriously?! It's seriously over?!" Nate exclaimed in glee. "Yahoo! We did it! We did it little buddy!" Then he picked up Cam and started twirling him around in the air in happiness. I was surprised he was able to lift him so high, Cam must have been extremely light.

"Whoa! Hey put me down! Put me down!" Cam shouted as Nate spun him around and around. "I-I'm getting di-dizzy!" By the time Nate let Cam go, the Ultimate Av Technician looked like he was practically seeing stars. But before he could fall over, Cam was caught by Chihiro who supported his weight and put him back on his feet.

"I can't believe it!" Aya exclaimed as she held her chest tight and took deep breaths. "Phew, I don't think my heart's ever beat so fast before."

"A celebration is in order tres amis! I declare this la day that we fight back against Ultima Despair! Viva le Resistance!" Connie shouted as she took off her top hat and waved it in the air.

Then all of a sudden a giggling Keiko grabbed Connie from behind and pulled her into a hug. "I'm with the French chick! We need to party real hard to get rid of this terrible mood!"

Connie blushed at the close contact and started giggling nervously. "Please let go of me, Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts. You're too close, no?"

"One step closer, I'll just be a little longer," Yasuke said to himself quietly. "If you're still out there, please wait for me."

Shiro kept chuckling and chuckling. "I can't stop laughing. I don't think I've ever been in such a good mood before."

Sawa smiled at the Ultimate Set Designer. "Well don't stop, let it all out. You deserve it."

"Oh god, oh god! Yes, I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonna die!" Jonathan exclaimed in excitement.

"Yes, see you peons! Blessing you with my grace worked like a charm!" Deva exclaimed. "Man, I can't wait to see the look on Soshun's face when he hears the good news!"

Beigoma let loose a flood of tears. "I can't stop crying. I'm so happy."

"Freaking baby," Nodaka scoffed at Beigoma.

"S-Shut up," Beigoma replied while still crying.

"Azami-tan can't stop smiling hebi! Smiles, smiles, smiles all around hebi! Hap-Hap-Hap-Happy hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

But the three of them were still silent. Nagito, Mukuro, and Izuru. It seemed that every time a good mood was in the air the three of them had to ruin it. But those three weren't the only ones who were silent. Monokuma had also become silent. And after a few minutes all of us went silent as well when we realized that the atmosphere had changed again. Then I was the one who finally broke the silence. "So Monokuma, it's over right? We can just vote for the Ultimate Imposter and then end this, right?" I asked,

"…" Monokuma remained silent.

"Monokuma?" I repeated a little uneasily.

"…" still no response.

I looked down to the control pad in front of my stand. The dial with suspects' icons was still there and so was the lever used for voting. I examined the dial icons that resembled each student's face and then came across the last icon, a question mark. 'Easy enough to guess who it is.' I turned the dial to the question mark icon and then looked up at the others. It appeared that they were trying to decide whether or not we should go ahead and vote as well.

"What do we do now?" Micho asked.

"Well we know who the killer is so we might as well just go ahead and vote," Izuru replied. "Don't worry it's not a trap this time, I'm sure of it."

"Like we'd listen to what you say, you already tricked us once," said Jonathan.

Izuru scoffed. "I guess you're right. Who's to say you're not about to be tricked again…or maybe you're already in the trick?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" I replied. 'Could he still be hiding something?' And that's when I realized that the only thing Izuru had done was try and hide Hajime's true manner of death. Nothing really major, nothing changed at all. Or did it? Was I just being paranoid or did it feel like this wasn't over yet?

Then he spoke up again. "Sorry I'm back now!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"Did you go somewhere?" Micho asked.

"The person controlling me did," Monokuma replied. "I guess they had to go and get the surprise guest since it was almost time for the finale."

"Special guest?" I repeated.

"I mean the killer of course!" Monokuma exclaimed. "I was just off getting them ready, but now I guess it's time get down to business, eh?"

"Wait what are you…?" I started to ask more questions but just then the large elevator that brought us here suddenly turned on and chatter and clanged while it climbed up the elevator shaft. We all looked back to the entrance of the trail grounds in surprise. "What the…?"

Monokuma chuckled. "Have you forgotten already? The killer's still here in the academy, I've been keeping watch over them this entire time for this moment. You guys did a good job to make it this far. But now the real fun begins."

"What are you talking about?! We know who did it already so just let us vote for them and be done with this?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Now how is that fair to the accused?" Monokuma asked.

"What are you on about now?" Sawa asked.

"Don't you guys know anything about how to work a fair trial? Both the accuser and the accused of any crime must be present during a court's proceedings. This is supposed to be a fair and honest trial so we have to give everyone a chance to debate," Monokuma explained. "You twerps haven't won anything yet so stop getting so damn giddy, will you? This is only the beginning."

"Wait, there's still more?! What the hell dude, you didn't mention this before?!" Nate shouted.

"If I told you guys every little thing then how would I keep up the suspense and build up your despair?" Monokuma replied. "It's only natural isn't it, the suspected culprit of any crime has the right to face their accuser and present their own ideas and theories. It's one of the basic principles of our justice system, duh!"

"Seriously?" Cam replied.

"I'm afraid he's right," said Micho. "If we are meant to do things fairly and impartially then we must give the accused the right to debate as well. But it is quite odd in a situation such as this. No other suspects are left so there's no one for the Ultimate Imposter to deflect the blame on so it just makes the whole thing one big charade. You yourself said that the Ultimate Imposter is the culprits so what's the point of it all?" Micho asked.

Monokuma chuckled in reply to her question. "Did I? I don't think I ever said those words. You think the killer is the Ultimate Imposter, but I'm just bringing out the killer now because I think it's the perfect time to start the finale. And to answer your other questions, I think you should ask the accused yourself, get one look at their face and you might start having some different ideas about what happened. Plus, since we've reached this climactic point I've decided to give the killer a handicap."

"A handicap?" I repeated.

"What the hell?! How's that fair to us?!" Nodaka shouted.

"Please, after all the little clues and hints I've given you down this long and weary road? I told you that you'd have to pay up at some point, right? Well consider this you paying up, just identifying the killer correctly won't cut it, I want to know every single detail of the culprit's plan and the progression of the murder as well. Reveal all these things and then I'll let you get to voting time."

"That's so not fair!" Aya exclaimed. "You didn't mention any of this before! You just said to correctly identify the killer and we've done that!"

"Okay then please tell me, are you sure it's the Ultimate Imposter? I only said it would be 1/27 chance that this outcome would happen, remember? And even then, do you know the Ultimate Imposter's true identity?" Monokuma asked.

"…" we all fell silent.

"Don't get me wrong. Even if it is who you guys think it is I don't want you to figure out who they really are, I'm sure they don't even know who they really are anymore. Moving from one identity to another, constantly changing every single detail about their self to match the life of another person. Never having any identity of their own. Forced to remain a chameleon to survive. That's got to weigh heavy on their heart, don't you think? But what if say for example you've all been wrong this whole time and the killer isn't the Ultimate Imposter at all, but someone else entirely? What will you guys do then?"

"…" we didn't respond at all.

Monokuma chuckled again. "Face it, this isn't the end at all. The trial is just getting started, consider everything else you guys have done so far just to be the prologue. The real fun starts now." And just as he said that the elevator reappeared on the bottom floor of the trial grounds and then the door opened and out walked two Monokumas. The little bear robots were escorting someone by the looks of it, someone wearing a long black robe that covered their body and hid their face from us. The Monokumas pushed the robed person up to the middle of the trial grounds and then they showed the person to the empty twenty-first seat in the circular stand. After that the other Monokumas left, leaving this new person in our care. We all stared oddly at the robed individual and tried to catch a glimpse of their face under their hood. But that proved to be of no avail. The person wrapped themselves so tightly in their robe that there was no way to determine who they were. "Allow me to introduce you to our special guest. Mr. or Ms. Killer. Please treat whoever they are kindly ~."

We continued to stare at the killer in silence until Yasuke finally broke the ice. "So, you're really them, eh? You…you killed Hajime Hinata?" he asked.

Then the killer spoke in an odd voice. "Yes I did it. I murdered Hajime Hinata. And you're here to help execute me for it, correct?" The killer's voice seemed to be as ambiguous as their appearance in that robe. The voice actually seemed change in tone each second. First, it was high and then it was low and then it shuffled back and forth in different tones of voice.

"Your voice sounds mechanical. Are you using a voice modulator?" Cam asked.

"Yes, I have decided to maintain anonymity for this portion of the trial," the killer answer calmly while their voice continued to change.

"Why all the secrecy?" Keiko asked. "We already know who you are, Mr. or Ms. Ultimate Imposter." She didn't know it but the way she phrased it seemed odd since we didn't who the Ultimate Imposter was to begin with.

"Actually the question you should be asking is if I really am the Ultimate Imposter," the killer replied. "Judging by your faces it appears that you all have already decided on my identity. But I wonder, is it not possible that you are mistaken in your reasoning? How do you know I'm not someone else and I'm merely concealing my identity to make you think that I am the Ultimate Imposter? You cannot see my face and you cannot hear my true voice. I could actually be anyone of your suspects. Do you have any proof that I am who you say I am?"

"Yes we do," I replied.

"We do?" Aya replied uneasily. "It took us all that time to go over the suspects and we ended up eliminating a lot of them when we decided to explore the path of Hinata-kun's girlfriend."

"Don't tell us you're having second thoughts about who the killer is?" asked Jonathan.

"It's not that I'm having second thoughts, I just wish we could be a little more certain," said Aya.

"Then why don't we explore a new method for elimination?" Jose suggested.

"How do you mean?" Shiro asked.

"That memoriam list that was in classroom 5C, I think we should take a crack at figuring out who's on the list. That'll eliminate eight of them for sure," Jose explained.

"But even if we do solve this ridiculous puzzle that's only eight suspects out of the way," said Nate. "There's still twenty left dude!"

"Then let's just continue on like before," said Jonathan. "The Ultimate Imposter is just biding time anyway. It's a trick you idiots."

"That may be the case, but I still want to be sure that we're putting all our eggs in the right basket," Jose replied. "And there is another way we can figure out the names on the memoriam list other than guessing."

"What how?" Beigoma asked.

"We compare it to another list that we've seen," said Jose. "I'm sure you all remember since we all encountered it together."

'Jose must be talking about…' I thought to myself and then my other self selected the evidence I needed to support Jose's claim. (Ammunition needed: **Final destination museum** ) "I've got it!" I exclaimed, getting the others' attention. "You're talking about the maps of the dormitory area that were at the museum, aren't you Historia-kun?" I asked the Ultimate Historian.

"Correct, as Monokuma called them the star tours' maps of the student's rooms. There are twenty dorm rooms, and not counting the eight who committed suicide in classroom 5C, twenty students to occupy each. If you'll recall each room gave a description of what was in there and also had a certain theme to it that went along with the previous occupant's personality. So I suggest that using the information we've obtained on our suspects so far, we determine the identities of all twenty students who escaped classroom 5C. And whoever's left over will be the first victims by default," Jose explained.

"That's actually a pretty clever idea," said Micho. "Did anyone bring one of those maps with them?"

"I did," I replied as I fished around in my pockets for the map that I had used a little while ago. "Here," then I handed it to Jose, who graciously accepted it. The Ultimate Historian unfolded the map and then turned it around so that all of us could see the layout of the dormitory floor and all twenty of the students' rooms.

 _Room No. 1: The Pop Goes the Weasel room_ _– has been completely refurbished since the occupant's untimely demise and has a radio inside that plays some of the best pop music of today on a recurring loop. Enjoy listening to music while you search for clues and checking out the famous bathroom of horrors._

 _Room No. 2: The Black Night room_ _– if you're into witches and vampires then this is the room for you, there's tons of talismans and interesting trinkets that will creep you out in a good way. It's also a nice place to drink tea in solitude and quiet as the previous occupant enjoyed their privacy._

 _Room No. 3: The Tai-Chi room_ _– a room that's very Feng Shui will make you feel ten times more empowered and enlightened. One visit in this room and you will feel like you can wrestle five tigers at once. I suggest any nervous nellies go here to pump themselves up for the class trial._

 _Room No. 4: The Beautiful Darkness room_ _– there's tons of cute clothes to play dress up in as well as a lot of cuddly stuffed animals to play with. However, there's a sort of creepy and crazy vibe about the room. Anyone's guess as to why?_

 _Room No. 5: The Two-Faced room_ _– everything is half and half! One side of the room is neat and organized, the other side is chaotic and messy. One side has lots of romance novels and the other side has lots of ero manga (mostly BL though). Enjoy!_

 _Room No. 6: The Overly Sporty room_ _– there's sport supplies and work out equipment everywhere. If you don't like working out in public this is a great place for you. We even have a punching bag to let out your aggression and a balance beam to work on your dexterity and flexibility._

 _Room No. 7: The Psychedelic room_ _– we've stepped back into the world of the weird. Thousands of bizarre objects and lots of talismans as well. You also will be able to feel a strange energy, is it a connection to the spirit world?_

 _Room No. 8: The Profound Scholarly room_ – _the whole room is covered with books, if you like reading this is the place for you. You just might have to live with the fact that thousands of books falling on top of you all at once while you sleep will indeed kill you. Learning hurts!_

 _Room No. 9: The Permanently Reserved room_ _– this room is almost impressively bland and exceptionally neat. Not a thing seems out of place and there's absolutely no way of telling who lived there before. This room could have belonged to anyone, or just someone who didn't like to show their emotions to others._

 _Room No. 10: The Stir-Fried room_ _– this room always has a mouth-watering smell about it, clearly the previous occupant made lots of tasty treats inside. Also feel free to enjoy the free samples inside._

 _Room No. 11: The Pretty Pixels room_ _– if you want some eye candy then you'll find it in this room. Here we offer you the chance to see hundreds of thousands of photos of different people and locations. You yourself might even be among the bunch._

 _Room No. 12: The Backstage Access room_ _– here we offer you the chance to rock out with a multitude of instruments. Do you like guitar, base, keyboard, or maybe the drums is more your style? No matter how you choose to rock out feel free to be as loud as you want, the rooms are soundproof anyway._

 _Room No. 13: The Blooming Petals room_ _– does anyone like going to shrines? Well you'll love this room, there's even a location for you to make a wish or two._

 _Room No. 14: The Hardcore room_ _– do you like excitement? Booming metal music that will make you eardrums bleed? Lifting weights and getting ripped? Then get your asses over here and get hardcore!_

 _Room No. 15: The Workshop room_ _– do you think you have what it takes to be an inventor? Come on down here to test your skills with machinery and build something really impressive._

 _Room No. 16: The Lovey-Dovey room_ _– a room that will leave you with a sickingly sweet aftertaste in your mouth. I personally wouldn't recommend this room._

 _Room No. 17: The room of Badassity_ _– guns, knives, money, drugs, and women. If you've got a vice then this is the place for you. Live it up like you're the fucking king of the world!_

 _Room No. 18: The Unknown room_ _– unknown, figure it out for yourselves._

 _Room No. 19: The Boring room_ _– the room of a perfectly average high school boy._

 _Room No. 20: The Boring-er room_ _– the room of an even more boring high school boy._

"Okay, now we've already determined that the nineteenth room, the Boring room, and the twentieth room, the Boring-er room, belonged to Makoto Naegi and Hajime Hinata," said Jose. "So there's eighteen more we need to identify. Let's start with the first room, the Pop Goes the Weasel room. Judging by the name and description, who do you think it belonged too?"

"That's easy, it was…" I let my other self choose the most logical answer and then finished my statement, "Sayaka Maizono. As the Ultimate Pop Sensation it would make sense that you would find pop music in her room," I explained.

"He's right, in fact me and Maita heard it straight from Monokuma himself so we know it's credible at least," said Yasuke.

"Okay then, now the second room, otherwise known as Black Night room. Who do you think lived there?" Jose asked.

My other self chose an answer again and then I replied, "I think that might've been Celestia Lu…I mean, Taeko Yasuhiro's room. The whole vampire and talisman thing would suit her Gothic Lolita style, don't you think?" I asked.

"I do believe so, and this part here where it talks about being a great spot for tea? Since Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro thought she was European with her chuunibyou that was really all she ever drank," Keiko explained.

"Okay, now the third, the Tai-Chi room. Who do you think lived there?" Jose asked.

I let my other self choose an answer again and then I said it aloud. "I think that might've been Sakura Ogami's room. She was the Ultimate Martial Artist so it kind of makes sense, especially the part about being able to wrestle five tigers at once in the room's description."

"An acceptable answer, let's move on then," said Jose. "How about the fourth room, the Beautiful Darkness room?"

Again I repeated the process of interacting between my two selves. "What about Junko Enoshima? The cute clothes and the crazy vibe in the room seem to match her personality pretty well."

"Indeed, I thought the same thing when I checked that room," said Mukuro. "Being in there reminded me of our childhood bedroom. Some very dark things took place there."

"Geez, I do not envy your childhood," said Nodaka.

"The fifth room then? The Two-Faced room?" Jose asked.

My other self and I were working in tandem now. "Jose and I never really told you the answer did we? About Genocide Jack's true identity?" I asked.

Nate began sweating bullets. "Why are you bringing up that psycho now? We've already got one killer to deal with dude."

"But it's important. Remember how the profile of Genocide Jack was that she was a schoolgirl who didn't really fit in. Well it turns out that she went to our school."

"Eh?" Nate replied.

"Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. Like Murasame-san, she also possessed DID. Her alternate personality being a serial killer. While it's the kind of cliché that you see in mystery novels it was quite interesting to learn, not everyone can say I went to school with a psychotic serial killer, you know?"

"That's way too creepy to even think about," said Micho. "Can we move on from that one? I think two-faced describes a person with DID perfectly."

"Indeed, the sixth room then? The Overly Sporty room?" Jose asked.

The process repeated again. "Aoi Asahina, maybe? Judging by the things we've learned about her the room seems kind of like a perfect fit."

"Um-hmm," Sawa replied. "Although it also kind of describes Owari-senpai she never really took training all that seriously. Even though she was the Ultimate Gymnast, she was hardly involved with her club at all. Instead of practicing she would either sleep or eat to excess. She was seriously a troubling individual," she said while she sweatdropped.

"Okay, moving on then. The seventh room, the Psychedelic room?" Jose asked.

And again. "What about Yasuhiro Hagakure? Being the Ultimate Clairvoyant, the bizarre and the spiritual suit him don't they?"

"Agreed, no need to discuss such absurdities anymore. The eighth room then? Otherwise known as the Profound Scholarly room?"

And again. "Hmm, judging by what you've told us so far Historia-kun, I think that room fits Byakuya Togami perfectly."

"Right there's no question this was his room. No one else would devote themselves so deeply to literature besides Togami-san and I. The written word shall always be supreme in our eyes," Jose replied. "Now onto the ninth room AKA the Permanently Reserved room?"

And again. "Hmm, at first glance it looks like the perfect room for the Ultimate Imposter but in the last part of the description it describes the occupant as someone who didn't like to show their emotions. So maybe Kyoko Kirigiri?"

"Kirigiri-san was the Ultimate Detective after all," said Chihiro. "She always said that it was a bad habit to wear your feelings on your sleeves. It's sort of the same thing with you right Ikusaba-san?"

"I guess," Mukuro simply replied.

"But I feel like you've opened up a little more since all of this craziness happened," said Chihiro.

Mukuro blushed slightly but her demeanor didn't change. "Thanks, I guess."

"Okay then, now for the tenth. Who lived in the Stir-Fried room?" Jose asked.

This was kind of getting repetitive. "That one seems pretty obvious since it involves cooking. It's got to belong to Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Cook."

"Without saying, moving onto the eleventh room. The Pretty Pixels room?" Jose asked.

And annoying. "That one's kind of obvious too. Mahiru Koizumi would probably be the only choice there."

"Indeed, moving onto the twelfth. "The Backstage Access room?" Jose asked.

At this point I think my other self was just zoning out as he pressed the buttons mindlessly. "I've got to go with Ibuki Mioda. As the Ultimate Musician it would make sense for there to be lots of instruments in her room."

"Ah, that room was so much fun hebi! Azami-tan got to play with all of the instruments hebi! *Strum-strum-strum* the guitar hebi! *Bang-bang-crash* on the drums hebi! *Beep-boop-beep* on the keyboard hebi!" Azami exclaimed in glee.

"She sounds like a kindergartner right now," Nodaka snickered.

"You have no idea," said Micho as she sweatdropped. "I was the one who had to go with her."

"Alright back to work. What about the thirteenth room, the Blooming Petals room?" Jose asked.

God even I was getting bored now. "Since the room contains shrines and a sort of a traditional feel it would make sense that it would belong to Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer."

"But that room was much different in décor than her previous work was," said Shiro, motioning to the altar in the center of us.

"Well no matter, now the fourteenth. What about the Hardcore room?" Jose asked.

Boring. "I think that might've belonged to Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Team Manager. I didn't personally know him but judging by his appearance I think that about sums it up."

Nate sighed. "Dude you have no idea. Coach Nidai meant well and all but he could be a freaking martyr when he wanted to be. I wasn't even a member of any sports club but when I was practicing some of my assassin moves he just ran up to me and told me that my form was all wrong. Then he said that if I let him work with me he could turn me into the greatest assassin in the world. Which sounded sweet at first but after enduring his intense training I didn't even last a day. I'm better off training on my own I guess."

"Okay then, next is the fifteenth room, better known as the Workshop room. Who do you think lived there?" Jose asked.

So boring. "It couldn't be anyone other than Kazuichi Soda. Inventions and mechanics just go so well together."

"Agreed, now how about room sixteen. The Lovey-Dovey room?" Jose asked.

Super boring. "I'm going with Mikan Tsumiki, even if she was just the Ultimate Nurse from the way Komaeda-kun describes her she's really caring."

Nagito sweatdropped and chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far, more like her sweetness is so sweet it turns bitter in your mouth. If you spent five minutes with her you would get where I'm coming from, trust me."

"I believe you, she seems like one of those girls that will kill you with kindness. Literally kill you," Jose replied. "Onto the seventeenth room. Who lived in the room of Badassity?"

Just a little longer. "I think it sounds kind of perfect for a guy like Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Well I'm only going by his title though. Who knows, the Ultimate Yakuza may have been quite the nice guy?"

"Doubtful, in every gang-related movie Yakuza are always the hardcore badasses who take what they want when they want it," said Cam. "Do you know that if you insult them they cut off your thumbs?" he asked as he held up his thumbs and wiggled them. "Can you imagine having to live like that?"

"Anyway, we're finally at the last room. The Unknown room, and judging by the description it's meant to be completely anonymous. Therefore, it could only belong to the Ultimate Imposter, proving that they managed to survive the massacre of classroom 5C." Jose folded up the map and then disposed of it. "Now then, from what we just theorized the twenty students who made it out of classroom 5C were our victim Hajime Hinata, as well as Makoto Naegi, Sayaka Maizono, Celestia Ludenberg/Taeko Yasuhiro, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Byakuya Togami, Aoi Asahina, Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Teruteru Hanamura, Mahiru Koizumi, Hiyoko Saionji, Ibuki Mioda, Mikan Tsumiki, Nekomaru Nidai, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, Kazuichi Soda, and the Ultimate Imposter." Then Jose pulled out his notebook. "Now let's compare those who we think are alive to those mentioned in the memoriam list. Don't worry, I copied it down for future reference." He opened up his notebook to a specific page and then showed us the contents.

 _R.I.P_

 _Hi_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank first part of last name)_ _a_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _K_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

 _(blank first part of first name)_ _n_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _(blank first part of last name)_ _a_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _(blank first name)_

 _K_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _A_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

 _M_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

 _(blank first part of first name)_ _i_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _N_ _(blank last part of last name)_

 _(blank first part of first name)_ _e_ _(blank last part of first name)_

 _(blank last name)_

"Now since those twenty managed to escape it's safe to assume that the other eight are those select few whose names only came up a few times or not at all. Hifumi Yamada, Leon Kuwata, Sonia Nevermind, Akane Owari, Gundham Tanaka, Peko Pekoyama, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and Mondo Owada. So if that's the case then the original memoriam list looked like this," Jose said as he quickly erased and then wrote down things on the notebook page." When he was done he showed us a now complete list of names.

 _R.I.P_

 _Hifumi Yamada_

 _Kiyotaka Ishimaru_

 _Gundham Tanaka_

 _Leon Kuwata_

 _Akane Owari_

 _Sonia Nevermind_

 _Peko Pekoyama_

"Not one person is out of place as we expected." Then Jose turned to face the killer. "We know who you are, and we've done the math like you've asked. But no matter what, it comes down to the same thing. So you might as well just take off that robe and show us your true face. Enough games, show us the true face of the Ultimate Imposter already."

"…" the killer was silent at first but a few moments later they started to laugh. " _Fufufufu_ , you have no idea at all." The killer then continued to laugh in their artificial tone created by the voice modulator they were wearing. It grew from some mild snickering, into a hardy chuckle, and finally morphed into cackling laughter. "You all have no idea what you're getting yourselves involved in, do you?! You're fools, you're all fools! Hopelessly foolish fools!"

Then after a few more moments the laughter died down and the killer began to speak normally again. "No matter what you do here this will end with your deaths one way or another. That is why I offer you a choice, let me leave this place once and for all and you will be free from the suffering you'll be forced to endure in the future. Do not fight anymore. It will only end with your destruction. There is no way of winning this game without suffering. It is kill or be killed. I don't want stay here anymore, not after what I've been forced to endure for six long, hellish years. Free me from this bloody prison once and for all and I swear you shall not suffer. You will not be put through the hell that lies ahead of you, you will not have to sacrifice anyone to survive another day. No games, no pressure, no mind-numbing despair. Just let me leave and your story can end before it begins."

"What kind of way of living is that?" I replied, making the killer go silent. "You say that we won't be able to handle what lies ahead, but how can you say that when you don't even know us? It's true, we might've despaired at first but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we don't want to despair anymore. We've already learned the truth, our memories have been erased and the outside world has apparently turned to shit. But still…" I balled up my fists and gritted my teeth, "But still I am not going to give up without a fight. None of us are. We've already made up our minds, we're going to fight to get out of here. All of us are going to leave this place alive as friends. We will not give into despair and kill each other like everyone wants us to. We're going to fight Ultimate Despair together and overcome this despair. Our hope will not waver anymore, we will not back down, and we will not give up. We will fight together as one!" I looked around and saw that the others were all smiling and nodding their heads in agreement.

"…" the killer stayed silent for a few moments after that. It was almost like they were contemplating something. And then finally they said, "I see. You may be naïve but your hearts are all in the right places. You all have different thoughts and feelings but you have one united goal. And you think that goal gives you strength? Well you're wrong."

"…" this time it was our turn to stay silent.

"I used to think like you too. No, as a matter of fact we all did. Though starting out I knew a few of the people I was forced to be imprisoned with it didn't change the fact that through it all we were just acquaintances. We might've been fooling ourselves into thinking we were friends with a common goal to survive and escape, but that was just a lie we led ourselves to believe. You're right about those eight who sacrificed themselves for us in classroom 5C. Peko was the first to go, she said if it would save Fuyuhiko and the rest of us then she would gladly give up her life." The killer motioned to Peko's sword which Nodaka was still holding onto. "Unbeknownst to the rest of us, Monokuma gave her a real sword which she used to kill herself with. That was two days into our week of torture."

"Another day passed and someone else gave up their life for our survival. Kiyotaka Ishimaru. He being a prefect thought it was his duty to protect us and keep us safe, and as his luck would have it someone else thought the same thing. Mondo Owada, together he and Taka grabbed two of the biggest weapons Monokuma left in the classroom." The killer pointed to the pickaxe that Nate had dropped before. "At the same time that Taka bore that pickaxe through Mondo's skull, Mondo smashed Taka's head with that large hammer over there." The killer motioned behind him to the row of murder weapons from the final destination museum. Sure enough, one of the cases without a label held a huge wooden mallet that was covered in dried blood. "They died together as brothers in arms."

"Then came the fourth hellish day, yet another brave soul sacrificed their life for us. Gundham Tanka, stuck that gun over there up to his temple and pulled the trigger, there were two *clicks* before a loud *bang* echoed through the room. And in his final moments he simply smiled and then let out a cackling laugh, and then he said _"Fools, worry not. I shall simply return to the darkness which spawned me for a short time. If we are lucky we will meet again someday, the world cannot be rid of my terror that easily!"_ And then red painted the room and he dropped to the floor with the gun still smoking in his hand." The way the killer described these horrific events made my stomach churn and my heart wrench. I looked to the others, they seemed shocked beyond belief as well. "Four gone, four to go. We only had three more days till the deadline and our wills were slowly being drained by the hellish conditions Monokuma put us through. "The next to go was Hifumi Yamada, though unlike the others before him he didn't sacrifice himself out of bravery, just cowardice. That's why he chose the smoothest of the murder weapons, the cyanide tablets." The killer motioned to a weapon case that had a small case of something that looked like medicine. "He took one and he was gone within seconds. Five down, three to go."

"And during all of this, Leon Kuwata was beginning to go stir crazy. He started murmuring to himself incessantly, and then he began cowering in fear, and finally he started slamming his head against the iron plates in a desperate attempt to break though and escape. We tried to get him to calm down but by then it was already too late. He grabbed that bat and bashed his head in over and over again until he was finally still." The killer motioned to a large aluminum bat inside one of the cases. "Six down, two to go."

"The next to die were two brave girls. Sonia Nevermind and Akane Owari. Sonia, being a kind and gentle princess tried her best to stay calm and brave under the intense pressure that we were all feeling for our sake. However, she could not hide the despair inside her forever. After watching how much despair had broken Leon's mind she began to break as well and show her true colors. She was even more scared than the rest of us. She began to sob and panic and then in her weakest moments she took that box cutter over there…" the killer motioned to yet another weapon case behind them that held a blood covered box cutter, "…and slit her wrists. But still it was amazing that she held out as long as she did, never letting up on the fear and despair that was inside her until her very last breaths. That was why she died bravely in my eyes and in the others' eyes."

"It was the last day till the deadline. If one more person didn't die then all of us would die instead. This is what Monokuma told us, and after all the hunger and sleep deprivation he had put us though we had no reason to doubt him. In the beginning though it was a great disappointment that we would not be able to sleep or eat at all until we escaped but we still thought we could hold out, a human being can go up to three weeks without food and if enough will is put behind it over eleven days without sleep. The important thing was water though, we thought that would kill us within a matter of days. But Monokuma didn't want things to end that way so he provided us with a small but manageable ration of water. But still with the twenty-eight of us stuffed into that dark and dank room with the smell of blood and rotten meat being inescapable we began to become a bit animalistic."

"Animalistic, how do you mean?" I asked in horror.

Jonathan eyes widened in horror. "Don't tell me…you ate their bodies?!"

"…" the killer sighed and then said, "In a moment of weakness we considered it."

I literally gaged on my vomit at that moment. With a lot of force I managed to push it back down. "But someone stopped us before we gave into that weakness," the killer continued their horrible story. "Time was ticking down until the deadline. We didn't want to do it but someone else had to die in order for the rest of us to survive. There were no volunteers obviously and the severe torture and carnage had already weighed heavily on our hearts and minds. We didn't want anyone else to die but we had no choice. So we thought that if we ate something then maybe we could think about things rationally, unfortunately the only thing to eat was…I know it was probably the second greatest taboo next to murder but in our final hours it seemed like a good idea. But before we could give into that temptation of hunger, the most unlikely of all people stopped us. Akane Owari, whose very nature itself was that of a glutton. I remembered seeing Akane around before things went to hell and this godforsaken place was still a school. It was almost like she had to eat every hour on the hour or she would die from judging by the way she overexerted herself in everything she did. Which was why we thought that she of all people would jump at the idea of eating after so long. But it was the exact opposite, she was the only one who was against the idea. As a matter of fact she was horrified that we would even consider such a thing. Eating your own friends…it might even be worse than killing them. But by that point logic and reason had gone out the door, in the hellish conditions we were put though those things had no say whatsoever."

"So in a desperate attempt to save us all from ourselves she grabbed one of the last few murder weapons given to us by Monokuma, that ice pick other there…" the killer motioned to a blood-stained ice pick in a case behind them, "…and then jabbed it into her carotid artery. But not before she said these last words to us, _"Live. Live for all of us."_ It was finally over. After that we were allowed to leave the classroom with our guilt over the events that befell our friends. And one by one, that guilt over not being able to save them consumed us as we faced an even greater despair of learning our true role in Ultimate Despair's game. Then one by one the despair claimed the others and killed us off one by one. After six hellish years in captivity, all that remained was me and one other. But even we couldn't take it anymore. That's why I adopted their life as a burden of my guilt."

"Adopted their life? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I became the Ultimate Imposter," the killer replied.

"Became? What do you mean by became?" Jonathan asked as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"…" the killer stayed silent and simply brought their covered hands up to the hood of their cloak. "I will show you the truth," they said in their mechanical tone. The killer uncovered their face slowly, stopping at their neck first to reveal an odd black collar with an array of buttons on it. What I assumed to be the voice modulator. The killer then pressed a red button on the side of the collar and their voice slowly began to shift to a normal tone. "The only way someone as weak as me could become special at all is by latching onto the life of another. I am a leech, a blood thirsty parasite. I hurt everyone I touch even if I don't mean too. My friends died one by one because I couldn't believe the truth that was staring right in front of me. First Sayaka, then Ibuki, Mahiru, Hiyoko, Celeste, Hiro, Toko, Kazuichi, Junko, Fuyuhiko, Teruteru, Nekomaru, Sakura, Hina, Mikan, Byakuya, Kyoko, Makoto, and finally her. I lost them all because I wasn't strong enough to hold onto them. If I could have connected with them more, made them know that they weren't alone in their suffering, that we were all in this together things might've been different. But then again, what can I do? I'm just some nobody from the Reserve Department after all."

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when I saw the true face of the killer. A head of short spikey brown hair that had a crooked ahoge sticking up, skin so pale you think that you were looking at a ghost but a condition to be expected for someone who's been trapped indoors for six years, and finally dull green eyes which seemed almost haunting from the amount of depression and despair that they had borne witness to in that long period of time. Everything about the killer screamed despair. It was as if their soul had been through hell and back, forced to bear god knows how many scars. I could never imagine what they went through, but I still didn't want to forgive them. No matter what they still killed the one person in the world I thought understood me, the person I wanted to get to know especially and become friends with before he was cut down in the prime of his life like the rest of us for some sick game thought up by a bunch of sick in the head fucks. So you could imagine my surprise when that person I had admired so greatly was standing right there in front of me.

The killer slowly took off the rest of their cloak and revealed their outfit underneath. A white dress shirt with an emblem embodied on the hem, a green tie which also bore that same emblem, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of red-and-white sneakers. The killer folded his arms and then said, "My name is Hajime Hinata, nice to meet you."

* * *

A/N: (A red curtain falls and a mysterious see-through hole shows up in the middle of the picture. Monokuma pops his head through the hole and then laughs manically while waving his paw.)

Monokuma – And that's all folks! Ready to start the real game?!

Maestro – Wait! What do you mean that's it?! That's not it! There's still an even bigger twist after that one! Plus the execution! The prologue trial isn't even done yet, we can't just skip to Chapter 1 yet!

Monokuma – Who said we're skipping? This is where Chapter 1 starts, you moron. This was planned form the very beginning, why do you think this part is smaller than the other ones? That big freaking cliffhanger was meant hang off till the next chapter. What is more despairful to the audience than having to wait even more to be given all the answers?!

Maestro –Wait, I wasn't told about this in development! This makes my script all out of whack now! How can you have two class trials in one chapter?! It's never been done!

Monokuma – This trial is pretty much over any way, isn't it? The killer's already revealed himself. There's nothing left, or is there?

Maestro – You know damn well there is! No, I'm not going along with this! Stop it now!

Monokuma – Keep whining or else I'm going to tell them who dies first.

Maestro – (*Gasp*) You wouldn't?

Monokuma – Sure I would. Listen up, the person who becomes the first victim is…

Maestro – Cut to black! Cut to black! I don't care anymore just no more spoilers!

Monokuma –Now that's more like it, let's make this Killing Despairadise the most fun place on Earth! Eat me Mickey Mouse! I'm the #1 mascot now!


	16. Opening

A/N: Hello once again. As you can see this post is titled Opening, meaning this is meant to serve as the opening for the game i.e. the Danganronpa theme song! Now of course since there aren't any real words to the song it would be pointless putting it up here so I will just ask all of you to insert the theme song's music while you're reading over the intro and to pretend that the intro is for an actual game. Now for the intro I do have certain written CG images but once again since this is mainly printed word it will take a bit of imagination to picture the images in your head. The CG images are in parenthesis so just imagine seeing them as you listen to the Danganronpa theme song and you should be good to go.

In other news, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far and is ready for Chapter 1 to officially begin. First thing's first, we've got to conclude the class trial before we can start our Killing Despairadise. I am certain you will all enjoy this new mutual killing game. Viva killing! Who will give into despair first, who will become the first victim, and will the other students find the culprit or die trying? I just can't wait to show you guys the mystery I've got in store, it's a real doozy. One of the characters that you've all got to know and love is going to die whether the students want it to happen or not. Even though they have a combined sense of unity at the very beginning unlike the other contestants of the previous mutual killing games there is still some underlying despair within each of them which they are unwilling to share yet. And that despair will cause crack after crack to form in their bridge of trust until the whole thing comes crumbling down. Such delicious despair! I am certain by the end of Chapter 1 each and every one of you is going to be crying your eyes out.

Alright moving on, in case you don't already know this. Free-time events are going to play a big role into this story since this isn't technically a game and we can't just replay a chapter and hang out with a different character then we did before. So this is what's going to happen. Along with regularly scheduled free-time events I am also going to work character buildup through the story itself in order for you guys to get the most out of each character. For instance, Akira may accidentally stumble into a character's defining moment and then get wrapped up into it. In case some of you already haven't guessed yet, he's wrapped up very deeply into the personal life of one of the students already. Love interests are the best, especially childhood friend pairings! So I will be sure to touch on that as much as possible but I will also be sure to give each and every character their own spotlight in Akira's life. Remember, like it or not in this story you are the Ultimate Wannabe.

Furthermore, I will also be involving regularly scheduled free-time events in which Akira has nothing better to do or he's bored. I have started a poll up on my profile page in which you my loyal viewers can vote on who gets the first free-time event through voting, and even you do not follow of favorite I still recommend voting as the turnout so far has been rather piss poor. I have all of the characters listed on there so just vote for whichever one you feel like. The maximum number of times each person can vote is two so pick your favorite characters or characters you would like to know more about. The character with the most number of votes by the time I start the free-time events will get the first go around, and then the character with the second most votes will get the second go around, and then so on, and so on in that order. So far Beigoma Kiyoshi is in the lead. Do I sense any siscons out there? I guess it's okay since they're not technically brother and sister but still, the way she will be portrayed throughout this story is as Akira's adopted clingy sister. But there will be no relationship blossoming from this, let me be clear on that. Their brother and sister-ish relationship will just deepen, that's all. And here's a freebie, Beigoma's hiding a very big secret. Alright I think that's it. Now playing theme music ~.

* * *

(Insert Danganronpa theme song)

(The music opens up on a large book entitled as follows: )

 _ **Killing Despairadise**_

(The book opens and reveals the contents are that of a pop-up book. The opening page shows a barren waste land where the sky is a dark gray and the clouds are in odd and peculiar shapes. Then buildings start popping up one after another on the barren wasteland. The last building, being two large towers that are connected by a single access tunnel up near the top of the buildings. One building is almost pure white the other is pure black. Monochromatic. Then a large shadow appears over the top of the towers. The shadow is bear shaped. A flash of lightning reveals the shadow's face is that of Monokuma.)

(The book then begins to turn through several sets of pages, each highlighting a specific name: )

(First page: Based on the game franchise developed and produced by Spike Chunsoft.

Second page: With art based on that of Rui Komatsuzaki, and writing built upon that of Kazutaka Kodaka.

Third page: Maestro Infinite proudly presents…)

(The next page of the book is also a pop-up picture and the words _**Ultimate Danganronpa 3: Despair's Final Challenge**_ pop up right in your face. A tab on the side of the pop-up book is pulled and blood starts to flow down off of the letters in the title.)

(The page is turned again to two other pop-up pictures on either side of the book's spine. The word _**Starring:**_ is on the left side of the book in bright pink letters and then the pop-up picture on the right shows a full-body picture of Akira. _**Akira Maita**_ is written next to his head. The background behind Akira is the two black and white towers that were seen previously. Only this time there appears to be a large hole in the tunnel that was connecting the two towers for some unknown reason.)

(The page turns again and shows two other character pop-up pictures on the left and right pages. A full body pop-up picture of Nodaka is shown on the left page with her name written next to her head as well. _**Nodaka Hoshi**_ is written in a rather girly and elegant manner. Her background shows that she is in a grassy plane looking up at a starry nighttime sky while gripping her chest tightly.)

(The page next to Nodaka's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Nagito. _**Nagito Komaeda**_ is written next to the Ultimate Lucky Student's head in an ugly and hard to look at writing style. The background around Nagito shows a large number of smiley faces, similar to the one on his belt buckle. They all scream insanity.)

(The page is flipped again and shows two new pop-up pictures. The first is a full body pop-up picture of Yasuke. _**Yasuke Matsuda**_ is written in sloppy handwriting next to the genius boy's head. The back ground behind Yasuke shows a laboratory containing a large electrical machine, though what it does is anyone's guess.)

(The page next to Yasuke's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Micho. _**Micho Auruka**_ is written in neat cursive over the Ultimate Defense Attorney's head. Based on her background she is inside a court room, a normal one by the looks of it. A tab on the side of the book is pulled and a gavel near the judge's seat in the background is banged down on the judge's bench. Court is now in session.)

(The page is flipped again and the first person shown is none other than the lovable Monokuma, who is sipping a colorful drink while sitting in a large, gold, Monokuma head-shaped throne. _**Monokuma**_ is written over the bear's head in a way that makes the ink run off on the page as if Monokuma's name were written in blood.)

(The next page shows a fully body pop-up picture of none other than _**Monomi**_ , who is depicted as being held in a cage that's dangling by a chain over a pool of sharks. Monomi is written in cutesy, childish writing over the pink and white rabbit's head. Then a tab on the side of the book is pulled again that makes the cage Monomi is hanging from start to swing back and forth like a pendulum as a look of horror grows on her face.)

(The page is flipped again to show a full body pop-up picture of the "marvelous" and "heroic" Halokuma. The angel-like Monokuma is depicted in front of the illustrious Heaven Heights, not flying of course, the wings being just for show, as is the halo for which the little neutral spawn was named after. _**Halokuma**_ is written overhead in shiny, gold writing.)

(And on the page opposite of Halokuma is his much more unlikable twin brother Diablokuma. The little devil is as always carrying around that damn pitchfork of his as. He is clearly depicted in front of his den of debauchery Devilane. _**Diablokuma**_ is written in a fiery red over the little troublemaker's head. A tab on the side of the book is then pulled which makes the fire of Devilane grow and grow until it consumes the whole page and then burns clean through to the next page in a cool cross stitching effect.)

(On the next page we get back to the students, the next pop-up picture being that of Nate. The background behind the Ultimate Assassin is yet another pattern, showing a bunch of spinning shuriken stars. And the words _**Nate Baron**_ are written next to Nate's head in garish handwriting.)

(The page next to Nate's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Keiko. _**Keiko Akasaka**_ is written on a nametag pinned to her chest which gets zoomed in on as a camera trick. Keiko appears to be depicted in a casino with a background pattern of several cards floating around her.)

(The page is flipped again to show a full body pop-up picture of Azami. _**Azami Jagaimo**_ is written over head in an odd way. The dots in her i's have been replaced with cat heads, and the capital A in her first name appears to have grown whiskers. But oddly enough there is a green background of a large snake behind her. Could this be symbolizing her speech pattern hebi?)

(The next page shows a full body pop-up picture of Jonathan. _**Jonathan Junmaru**_ is written next to the Ultimate Procrastinator's head in neat evenly spaced writing. Jonathan is depicted wearing one of his hygienic masks over his mouth and holding an aerosol spray can in his right hand. The background depicted around him shows a glowing biohazard symbol. A tab on the side of the book is then pulled that makes the biohazard symbol turn into the skull and cross bones symbol for poison.)

(The pages is flipped again to show a full boy pop-up picture of Sawa. _**Sawa Nanase**_ is written next to her head in girly handwriting. Sawa is depicted as standing barefoot in the sand of a beautiful beach. She is staring at the crystal clear ocean in front of her. The camera zooms into the ocean and then dives into the deep blue water below, which leads to the background setting of the next page.)

(The next page after Sawa's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Aya. _**Aya Kisaragi**_ is written over her head in bubbles. The background shows her in the ocean, holding her breath as she explores the marine life. A tab is pulled on the side of the book and Aya begins to lose her breath and struggle, due to her low constitution for swimming.)

The page is flipped again to show a full body pop-up picture of Connie. _**Connie Takemi**_ is written over her head, and the o in her first name has been replaced with a watch that's ticking away. Connie's background is depicted as the inside of a large clock tower, and several gears are turning behind her.)

(The page next to Connie's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Cam. His full name, _**Cam Yano**_ , is written next to his head in a futuristic neon design. The background behind Cam resembles a motherboard chip. A tab on the side of the book is pulled and the motherboard chip is loaded in a large supercomputer.)

(The page is flipped to show the supercomputer once again and our sight is immediately drawn to what prints out on the screen. A fully body pop-up picture of Chihiro. _**Chihiro Fujisaki**_ is written next to her head in a unique digital design, making the i's in her full name look likes 1's.)

(The page next to Chihiro's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Jose. _**Jose Historia**_ is written next to his head in neat penmanship, similar to the penmanship in his journal below. The background we see him in is an ordinary library but what draws our attention immediately is what's written in his journal on the page its open to. _Whose eyes are those eyes?_ A very philosophical question.)

(The page is flipped again to show a theatre stage covered by a red curtain. A tab on the side of the book is pulled and the curtain opens to reveal a full body pop-up picture of Shiro. _**Shiro Shirobane**_ is spelled out over his head by the use of the spotlights at the top of the stage and the shadows of the curtains.)

(The page next to Shiro's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Beigoma. She is depicted as standing out near the edge of a flower-covered plateau that's overlooking the valley of Despairadise. A tab on the side of the book is pulled and a strong gust of wind picks up several uprooted flowers on the plateau and lifts them up over her head, miraculously spelling out her name. _**Beigoma Kiyoshi**_ is shown in a magnificent rainbow of petals. Unfortunately, that strong gust of wind also blows away Beigoma's sunhat as well as flip the book through the next couple of pages.)

(As the book skipsthrough the many pages caused by the wind we see many different cutscenes of future events in the game. Hajime Hinata's killer being executed in front of the students. Hope's Peak Academy falling apart like it was all some kind of movie set and showing the students the outside of Despairadise. Mechanical collars being placed around the students next and flashing a red number 5 on a small screen on the collars. The students' terrified faces are shown one by one as they witness one of their friends getting shocked with a hundred volts of electricity. Monokuma's massive statue is shown popping up out of many different locations, which is possible since the statute houses the trial grounds. The arrival of a mysterious individual. Akira holding the symbol of his childhood love in his hands as he cries in despair. Then the pages finally stop turning and we get back to the character introduction pages of the story.)

(The next page shows a full body pop-up picture of Soshun Murasame. Soshun is depicted inside some type of room which is completely white on the inside. _**Soshun Murasame**_ is written on the right side of the Ultimate Student Council President's head. Then another tab on the side of the book is pulled and Soshun's body suddenly becomes half and half like Monokuma. His left half begins to glow and show a different expression then his right half. _**Ultimate Deva**_ is written on the left side of Soshun's head.)

(The page next to Soshun's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Mukuro. _**Mukuro Ikusaba**_ is written next to her head in a sort of jagged edged writing style, almost as if her name was carved out with a knife. The background behind Mukuro appears to be some kind of blood-covered wall, but this doesn't faze her obviously. She is emotionless like always. Then another tab on the side of the book is pulled and a sniper's crosshairs suddenly enters the picture, hovering right over Mukuro's head. A shot is fired and the bullet pierces through the page and sends our view over to following page.)

(The page on the reverse side of Mukuro's page shows a full body pop-up picture of Izuru. Izuru's background is depicted as complete darkness. The only source of light can be made out is the red in his eyes. Then yet another tab on the side of the book is pulled and dim light enters Izuru's page, showing his face. He, like Mukuro, is also expressionless. The dim light also reveals where his name is written. _**Izuru Kamukura**_ is clearly visible next to his head now.)

(Finally the last page of the book is shown, this appears to be a full body pop-up picture as well but the person who it is meant to represent is impossible to say. A silhouette is all that appears on an otherwise blank page. However, the silhouette appears to be holding something in its hand based on its shape, only time will tell who this is meant to depict. _**?**_ is written over the silhouette's head.)

(Finally the book closes just as the song fades out.)

* * *

 **SURVIVORS:**

 **20**

 **PROLOGUE: A TASTE OF DESPAIRADISE**

 **END**

* * *

A/N: And that's all she wrote. I hope you took my advice and listened to the song while reading this, otherwise it probably wouldn't have made much sense. I tried to be as descriptive about the setting as possible without giving too many spoilers and I only gave you tiny glimpses into the game just like the previous games did for their story. A mystery game's no fun if you're not a little in the dark after all. So before we go, let me leave you with this. I'll start Chapter 1 as soon as I'm done looking over what I've written and posted so far, I haven't been able to sleep soundly knowing for sure that there are endless typos hidden here and there.


	17. Chapter 1, Part 1

A/N: Hello everyone, are you ready to continue the story? Good, because we've still got to finish the class trial before we can get started on our Killing Despairadise. Now some of you may be wondering why I chose split the prologue class trial and place part of it in Chapter 1. Well to be honest the main reason is because I thought the killer revealing themself to be Hajime Hinata would be very suspenseful but I guess you could also read more into it considering that some important details will be revealed by the killer during their debate with the Killing Despairadise students.

Moving on, I'm happy to see that people are now responding to the free-time events poll. But just remember that it's going to be up on my profile page until I start the first free-time event so by all means those of you who haven't voted yet please go ahead and help yourselves. And for those of you who are interested the current results are as follows:

Beigoma Kiyoshi – 4 votes

Azami Jagaimo – 4 votes

Jose Historia – 4 votes

Nodaka Hoshi – 3 votes

Sawa Nanase – 2 votes

Keiko Akasaka – 2 votes

Izuru Kamukura – 1 vote

Aya Kisaragi – 1 vote

Soshun Murasame – 1 vote

Jonathan Junmaru – 1 vote

Nate Baron – 1 vote

Nagito Komaeda – 0 votes

Mukuro Ikusaba – 0 votes

Yasuke Matsuda – 0 votes

Micho Auruka – 0 votes

Connie Takemi – 0 votes

Shiro Shirobane – 0 votes

Cam Yano – 0 votes

Chihiro Fujisaki – 0 votes

Anyway, some things to look out for before we begin. Izuru's scheme hasn't been fully revealed yet but as the debate with the killer continues on Akira will slowly start to piece everything together. Just keep in mind that he is also guilty of something, just as the killer is guilty of murder. Secondly, even though the class trial seems like it's practically over the killer is going to do everything within their power to deny it all and according to Monokuma you cannot declare a killer until all the questions have been answered. So to you people playing this game you're going to have to stay strong and stick to the theories you've made so far. Especially in this part because choosing the wrong choice can lead to bad end left up to your imagination. Make decisions wisely.

I'm not gonna lie to you, the killer is going to throw everything that you have on them back in your face with some very interesting tactics. But if you stick to your instincts and think rationally you should be able to break through their arguments just like you've done so far. However, there may be some new tactics you may have to make use of in order to win. Victory is within sights. The mystery of Hajime Hinata's apparent death must be solved if you wish to see another day, just keep calm and believe that the truth will be revealed and you will beat this tangled web of despair. Lastly, trust in your classmates as well as yourself. Who knows, maybe one of them will help guide you to the truth. Good luck!

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 1: Carbon copy, Part 2**

* * *

"…" the killer stayed silent and simply brought their covered hands up to the hood of their cloak. "I will show you the truth," they said in their mechanical tone. The killer uncovered their face slowly, stopping at their neck first to reveal an odd black collar with an array of buttons on it. What I assumed to be the voice modulator. The killer then pressed a red button on the side of the collar and their voice slowly began to shift to a normal tone. "The only way someone as weak as me could become special at all is by latching onto the life of another. I am a leech, a blood thirsty parasite. I hurt everyone I touch even if I don't mean too. My friends died one by one because I couldn't believe the truth that was staring right in front of me. First Sayaka, then Ibuki, Mahiru, Hiyoko, Celeste, Hiro, Toko, Kazuichi, Junko, Fuyuhiko, Teruteru, Nekomaru, Sakura, Hina, Mikan, Byakuya, Kyoko, Makoto, and finally her. I lost them all because I wasn't strong enough to hold onto them. If I could have connected with them more, made them know that they weren't alone in their suffering, that we were all in this together things might've been different. But then again, what can I do? I'm just some nobody from the Reserve Department after all."

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when I saw the true face of the killer. A head of short spikey brown hair that had a crooked ahoge sticking up to the left side of his head, skin so pale you think that you were looking at a ghost but a condition to be expected for someone who's been trapped indoors for six years, and finally dull green eyes which seemed almost haunting from the amount of depression and despair that they had borne witness to in that long period of time. Everything about the killer screamed despair. It was as if their soul had been through hell and back, forced to bear god knows how many scars. I could never imagine what they went through, but I still didn't want to forgive them. No matter what they still killed the one person in the world I thought understood me, the person I wanted to get to know especially and become friends with before he was cut down in the prime of his life like the rest of us for some sick game thought up by a bunch of sick in the head fucks. So you could imagine my surprise when that person I had admired so greatly was standing right there in front of me.

The killer slowly took off the rest of their cloak and revealed their outfit underneath. A white dress shirt with an emblem embodied on the hem, a green tie which also bore that same emblem, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of red-and-white sneakers. The killer folded his arms and then said, "My name is Hajime Hinata, nice to meet you."

Words could not express our surprise at that moment. Our minds had gone into overdrive as we placed all our effort into processing this newfound information. And our faces were all different mixes of shock and awe. Even Mukuro and Izuru seemed to be surprised by this sudden turn of events.

"N-No way," said Micho.

"Impossible!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"T-There's no way! It's gotta be some kind of dumb trick!" Jonathan shouted.

"For reals dude?!" Nate exclaimed as he began pulling on his hair again.

"Didn't see that one coming," Nagito said with a small smile that was accompanied by a series of nervous sweat bullets.

"No! No! No! No!" Nodaka exclaimed as she held her head in confusion. Then she growled and shouted, "Are you freaking kidding me with this?!"

Mukuro seemed bewildered. "This is…no, this can't be…how?"

"It appears that the Mastermind does have some other tricks up his sleeve. Bravo, I have to give you this one. I'm still quitting though," Izuru said as he was still trying to admit defeat.

"It can't be!" I exclaimed with a loud gasp. "Hinata-kun, is that really you?!"

Hajime smirked at me. "I recognize you. You were in my old class in the Reserve Department, right? Akira Maita, wasn't it? I may not be that smart but I never forget a face." He chuckled. "If it wasn't for the current circumstances surrounding our reunion I would say it's good to see you again. But unfortunately I don't think now is a good time for such pleasantries."

"Arrgh zombie hebi! Zombie hebi! Get back, don't eat my brains hebi!" Azami screamed in fear.

Hajime chuckled and smiled at Azami's reaction. "There's no need to be scared of me. I'm not a zombie so you don't have to worry about me eating your brains."

"Then you're a ghost who's come back from the dead to seek revenge!" Shiro exclaimed. "Oh great spirit of Hajime Hinata, please spare us your wrath! I beg of thee!" Shiro folded his hands and prayed to Hajime while trying to keep himself from trembling.

Hajime chuckled again. "You guys are a riot." Then he turned back to me. "Maita-kun, it seems like you found yourself some really great friends." Then his happy smile changed to a sad one. "They remind me so much of my friends it's uncanny. It's almost like they were created with them specifically in mind."

"So this is really happening? Mr. Hajime Hinata is really alive?" Keiko asked uneasily.

"Of course I'm alive. I'm standing right here in front of you aren't I?" Hajime replied. "You must be Akasaka-chan right? You look exactly like Celeste described you."

"Celeste? No honorifics?" Keiko replied in her uneasy tone.

"Of course not, there's no need for honorifics when you become close with someone. And trust me, with six years of nothing to do but running around in this maze and chatting with each other we all became really close. We all called each other by our first names, there wasn't any need to be formal when we became each other's whole world. We learned everything we could about one another, and it took a while but even Celeste opened up eventually. Enough to tell us that Celestia Ludenberg wasn't her really name which we all already kind of figured. She also told us all about how this loud-mouthed senpai would often challenge her to gambling competitions all the time and really annoy her," Hajime explained.

"Loud-mouthed?" Keiko replied with distaste. "That does sound like Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro alright."

Hajime chuckled again. "But she also said that even if that senpai was annoying she did enjoy playing against her. Celeste said that if she ever really did have a true rival it probably would have been you." Then Hajime's cheeks began to become flushed. "And um, I'm not quite sure exactly but I think I sensed another emotion towards you buried deep under all that hostility. Teruteru could've probably explain it better than I could though, he was the first person who sensed it. What was that term he used again? It sounded like a flower?"

Keiko's cheeks turned a rosy red and she seemed to become very embarrassed all of a sudden. "Bup! Bup! Bup! Bup! There's no need to go into greater details! I believe you!"

"Glazing over that, how do we know you're the real Hajime Hinata? You could just be the Ultimate Imposter pretending to be him, right?" Deva asked.

"Heh, you sort of remind me of Kiyomondo. Taka turned into him before he and Mondo sacrificed themselves, he said it was to try and lift our spirits up. And it had somewhat of an effect. I bet you did the same thing to these guys am I right?" Hajime asked Deva.

"Enough games Imposter! Answer the Goddamn question!" Deva shouted.

"You're pushy, eh? Taka in a nutshell," Hajime replied. "Okay, I'll explain everything. The person you saw dead in classroom 5-C was really the Ultimate Imposter disguised as me. And I am the real Hajime Hinata."

"You've got to be kidding, that's your excuse?!" Jonathan exclaimed. "That's a total load of bull! Enough tricks just admit it already! You are the Ultimate Imposter!"

"I said I became the Ultimate Imposter. I became them when I killed them. But I still am and have always been Hajime Hinata," Hajime corrected Jonathan.

"Isn't that no better than saying that Hajime Hinata has always been the Ultimate Imposter?" Aya asked.

"It would be if I was born as the Ultimate Imposter, but I wasn't. I **became** the Ultimate Imposter," Hajime replied.

"You keep saying that over and over again! What the hell does that mean anyway?! How do you become a different person to begin with?!" Nodaka exclaimed.

"You don't know what it's like," Hajime said in a depressed tone. "To be born into a world that doesn't want you."

"…" immediately we all went silent.

"The Ultimate Imposter didn't develop their talent, they didn't even think of their talent as a talent in the first place. They were all alone for their whole life, no one to take care of them, or nurture them, or even love them. It wasn't because of some deformity or emotional issue, no instead the problem lied in the Ultimate Imposter's mindset," Hajime explained. "It wasn't necessarily despair at first, it began as doubt. When they were very young they were abandoned and the abandonment caused them to doubt their own worth and abilities, so they developed a different mindset in order to cope with their loneliness. They thought since they were worthless then maybe they could change and become someone who wasn't. So they desperately changed themself in order to become someone who mattered. They changed their appearance, their speech patterns, and the very ways they thought and felt in order to become someone else. But after becoming another person their mindset would not go away and they began to think of their new persona as worthless as well. So instead they became a chameleon and tried to gain self-worth by mimicking another person, but even then they still didn't like themselves. So it went on and on and on and on, constantly changing their identity to find a person they could bear to exist as. But it didn't matter who they became, they still hated their self. And that was how it turned into full-blown despair."

"And she was your girlfriend, wasn't she Hinata-kun?" I asked.

Hajime chuckled again. "So you all know, eh? Yes, she's been thousands of different people, all of various shapes, sizes, ages, and genders. But originally she was a girl, and the persona I met her in was also female. I don't even know if her persona looked partially like her original self, unfortunately she never revealed her true self to me. I guess she was afraid I would see her in the same way she saw herself. But it didn't matter who she was to me, whether it was the girl I met her as, or the girl she really was, or any other persona she decided to become. I loved her, I loved her with all my heart."

"Wow, I didn't know it was possible to have that low of self-esteem," said Micho.

"It's not unheard of," Yasuke replied. "I believe the disorder is called Imposter Syndrome. It's when a person believes that they don't deserve the things they've been given and is unable to feel validated or internalize any achievements. They basically feel like their entire existence is a lie and they are worthless. It's not a recognized mental disorder but it's an interesting depression phenomenon none the less. And it's believed a lot of people who hate themselves might have symptoms of this disorder."

"Props to our friendly neighborhood Brainiac!" Nate exclaimed as he flashed Yasuke a thumb's up.

"Don't call me that," Yasuke replied in a stern tone.

"Imposter Syndrome, eh?" Hajime replied. "It almost sounds like it was made just for her. I really wish she could've loved herself as much as I loved her. She wasn't worthless, not to me at least," he said in a solemn tone.

"If you loved her so much then why did you kill her?" Beigoma asked.

"Yeah, that's like the very definition of an oxymoron," Cam added.

Hajime looked down to his side and appeared to be contemplating something. "You should always treasure your friends, and put their needs over your own. I didn't do that and I ended up losing everyone I ever cared about. Maybe if the pain came all at once I could've dealt with it but that wasn't the way it worked. The despair came in small doses and soon it spread so much that it consumed me whole. Which is why even before it was just me and her left in this hellhole I had already completely locked away my heart."

"You isolated yourself from the others didn't you?" I asked.

"Yeah, everyone was suffering and even though we all talked to each other and tried to keep up our spirits up we all still despaired. Even I did, and mine was more pronounced than the others." Hajime rolled up his shirt sleeves and then turned over his arms and showed them to us. There were several scars going up and down his arms and wrists. There was no doubt about it, those were slash marks. Cries for help from the suicidal.

'Just like…' I thought back to the dead Hajime's body and recalled that there were also several slash marks on his arms and legs.

"At first I thought that the others were cowards, giving into despair so easily. But then I realized after losing so many of my friends that sometimes feeling pain on the outside is the only way to get rid of the pain on the inside. The first time I did it I actually did intend to kill myself, but I didn't know you needed to slit your wrists a certain way for it to work." He sadly chuckled. "Sonia made it seem so easy. But after it didn't work I thought it was a sign that I had to keep on living, but I still occasionally did it because as twisted as it sounds it did actually make me feel better. And then before I knew it the only two people left alive were me and her."

"You didn't answer our question, why did you do it?" Jonathan asked. "If you are Hajime Hinata then tell us why you killed the Ultimate Imposter and why she was dressed up like you?"

"Yeah, and why did she have the same cuts that you had on her body?" I asked.

"I didn't know that she planned this at first. I received a message from her that told me to meet her at classroom 5-C, which we had made into a shrine for the others, at 2:00 A.M. But when I got there I found that the shrine was missing and that several items were spread out on the teacher's desk. And she was waiting for me, dressed up as me. I only showed up because in her message she told me that she had found out something very interesting from Monokuma. So instead of asking the blatantly obvious question of why she was dressed up as me I asked her what she wanted to tell me. And apparently she had found out that the Mastermind was planning a new mutual killing game including us to make up for the colossal failure that the first one was."

"And the other contestants for that new game were us, right?" I asked.

Hajime nodded. "And to make sure that this one actually worked he blackmailed her into agreeing to incite killing."

"Blackmailed her with what?" Micho asked.

"My life," Hajime replied in a solemn tone.

"…" we all remained silent.

Monokuma laughed at the top of his lungs. "Yes, yes, yes! Despite her unprecedented hatred of herself the one person she could not bear to see in any more pain was her little boyfriend Hajime-kun~."

"By that time I was literally hanging on by a thread. I was starting to go paranoid and with each death I grew increasingly more so," Hajime explained.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"I guess I was just too afraid. I had already attempted to end my suffering several times but I knew deep down that even if I locked away my heart I would still miss her, so I convinced myself to survive. At least until she left this world, and with everyone dropping like flies I knew it was just a matter of time," Hajime explained. He sighed. "Apparently Monokuma told her that if she didn't go along with his new plan then he would make me do it. And she knew I didn't have it in me to do such a thing. So she designed her own plan to stop the mutual killing game before it began and save all of you and me from enduring any more torment. The plan was to disguise herself as me and leave behind a series of red herrings to make an almost impossible to solve mystery. Which I guess she succeeded in doing since it's led us to this exact point. I have to hand it to her, she made a convincing me, she even got the cuts right. But unfortunately to proceed with this plan she needed someone to kill her. And that's why she asked me to do it."

Nodaka gasped. "S-She seriously asked you to kill her?"

Hajime chuckled sadly and then he started to tear up. "I guess she had a martyr complex to go along with her Imposter Syndrome."

"Sounds a lot like Komaeda-san," said Aya.

"I couldn't agree more," said Nagito.

"She said that if she had to take a life then it would be her own like our other friends, only this time someone would be saved over suicide. I didn't want to do it, actually hurting her broke my heart but I did it because it was what she wanted. But with everything she had already set up her murder was made to look even more convoluted than it really was. It was a crime of passion plain and simple. She was ready to die for me, while I isolated myself from her and left her all alone. Just like she had been for her entire life." Tears began streaming down Hajime's face. "After what I put her through by ignoring her I felt the least I could do was honor her final wish, so I went along with her plan and followed her instructions to a T. And that plan put in motion the events that have led us here."

"So she meant for us to get gridlocked?" Micho asked.

"Yes," Hajime replied. "She left the final decision in our hands. Who lives and who dies? I know she intended for me to be the one to escape and for you guys to escape the torture of being put through yet another mutual killing game by ending it all here. But after meeting you all and getting to see your combined hope first hand I don't know if I want to go through with that plan anymore. That's why I revealed who I really am to you, and that's why I'm going to ask you once more. Do you want to continue to play this game knowing full well of the consequences that will arise if you do? Are you willing to step over the bodies of your fallen friends to keep surviving and live to see another day? Do you all have the strength to do whatever is necessary in the coming future? And will you be able live with yourselves afterwards? This is our gift to you new students. A choice. Death or an even more painful death?"

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

 _Surrender and be spared from despair_

 _Play the game and fight the despair_

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose second option** ) "If you still need to ask us that, then you don't know us at all," I replied. "We're tired of being afraid, we want to fight. We want to live. We all want to survive and leave here as friends. And that's what we're going to do. You say are only choices are death or a more painful death?" I shook my head. "What happened to you, I can only imagine. But the Hajime Hinata I remember would never stop hoping for a brighter tomorrow. He would work hard and fight to make that dream a reality. He's the person I want to be like. I want to hope for a better future, and if I have to fight Ultimate Despair to do it then so be it. I'm not backing down, none of us are." The others nodded in affirmation to my statement. "So no Hinata-kun, we're not giving up no matter what you or anyone else says. We will not stop fighting until we win!" I exclaimed.

Then he sighed. "You're going through with this no matter what aren't you? Do you really think you guys can beat Ultimate Despair? Really?" Hajime asked.

"We have to try. That's the least we can do for you and for the others, and for everyone else whose life has been ruined by Ultimate Despair," I replied.

"Fine, I guess I might as well surrender then." Hajime looked back to Monokuma. "Hey Monokuma, will you let them go ahead and vote for me. I don't want to play anymore. I want to join my friends again. I don't care about surviving anymore. If living means I'll have to keep this pain inside of me even after the person who I stayed alive for is gone then I don't want to do it. I want be with her again so do me a favor and let them finish it. I know it's not the ending you were hoping for but they want to go ahead and move on already."

"Well I guess it's alright, everything has been pretty exciting up to this point after all. Your crazy, paranoid girlfriend may have ruined my original plan but this new plan she hatched isn't half bad either. I really have to hand it to Imposter-chan, what's more despairful than making two groups of innocents decide their fate! Even her idea of saving yo guys is out of whack!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"You shut up," Hajime replied. Then he changed back to wearing his solemn expression. "Even though I didn't find out she was the Ultimate Imposter until the very end, and even if everything I ever knew about her was just one big lie, I still loved her. She was the first person who ever made me feel like I mattered. Even though she didn't think that she herself deserved to live she did everything in her power to stop anymore bloodshed. And she trusted me to finish her work, so I intend to do just that. Consider this our final play against Ultimate Despair. And now that it's over we can officially pass the torch on to you guys. So go ahead, vote for me and end this madness."

Micho laughed sorrowfully while wearing a downtrodden expression on her face. "So all this time. It wasn't a crime of passion or revenge. You just killed her because she asked you too. It's like assisted suicide, it's a morally gray area. I'm so sorry for what you and all your friends had to go through."

"I finally understand the meaning behind all those hash marks you guys left behind in that creepy museum," said Jonathan. "Exactly 2,190 hash marks, 365 days in a year, 6 years you were all held prisoner here." Jonathan sighed, "God sometimes math is a bitch."

"Weak dude, this is really weak," Nate relied with a grumbled expression.

"I have a question for you before we…you know?" said Mukuro.

"Yes?" Hajime replied.

"You said that you got to know everyone personally. Does that include Junko Onee-chan and her secret?" Mukuro asked.

"You're Mukuro, right? Yeah, Junko didn't tell us personally but we found out for ourselves after she died. She left us a note explaining everything. How she was the original Mastermind and how the group she created overthrew her and stopped listening to her. The despair had grown too much for even the Ultimate Despair to handle, so she cut herself up piece by piece in the most gruesome and sadistic way to feel in control of her despair once again. It was a grim sight but after finding out the truth we were kind of glad to be rid of her. She also mentioned you in her note, and said how that maybe if things had been a little different it wouldn't have had to come to this and she thanked you for always putting up with her. Even though you're both monsters I guess you're still human in some way, right? It's kind of fitting that you're on the team fighting Ultimate Despair, don't you think? Mukuro Ikusaba, the traitor." And then at that exact moment Hajime smiled. Only this smile was different than the other smiles he had shown so far. It reminded me of Nagito's smiles.

'Huh? The way he just said that. Traitor. Am I just imagining things or…? No, not this time. Something's wrong. I can feel it. Something's very wrong here,' I thought to myself.

"I see, thank you," Mukuro replied. "I know that no matter what I do I can never truly make it up to you and the others that I've hurt but I shall do my best to find retribution." Mukuro seemed to be unaware that anything was amiss due to her guilt.

"Well I guess this is goodbye, I wish all of you the best of luck in your endeavor. I know you can win," said Hajime as he continued to smile.

'Just a few minutes ago he was trying to push us into quitting and sparing his life and now he's already accepted his fate? No, this can't be right. The Hajime Hinata I know would never give up.' I thought back to all the things we had discussed during the class trial. So many unanswered questions. Izuru's true motives. The box buried in the botanical garden. Mukuro's survival knife. The killer's apology note. The point of the red herrings. We were missing something crucial to the true revelation. I looked around to the others. They were tired, they wanted this to end badly. So did I, but no matter how hard I tried to shake this bad feeling in my gut I just couldn't do it. I could see that everyone else was getting ready to vote. They turned the dials imbedded in the base of their trial stand so the pointer stopped at a Hajime-shaped icon. I looked down to my own dial and saw that the Hajime-icon was right below the icon for the Ultimate Imposter. I looked up again and saw that everyone else had placed their hands on their stands' levers.

"Are we all comfortable?" Monokuma asked. "Good, then…"

"Akira, what are you doing?" Nodaka asked when she saw that I wasn't ready. "Come on now's not the time to stare off into space, get with the program."

"Without further ado…" Monokuma continued.

"Is something wrong Maita-san?" Sawa asked.

"It's…" Monokuma continued.

"What are you waiting for? Get ready," said Yasuke.

"Voting…" Monokuma continued.

"If you're planning to do something I suggest you do it now," said Izuru. "Remember its majority rules, one vote doesn't make that much of a difference."

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

 _Go with the majority and vote for Hajime_

 _Tell the others that something's bothering you_

 _Try to stall for more time_

 _Declare someone else as the culprit_

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose third option** ) "Wait!" I slammed my fists down on my stand's railing to grab everyone's attention.

"Time! Wait, eh? Now what?" Monokuma asked.

"I…um I want to ask Hinata-kun a few more questions before we vote," I said in an uneasy tone.

"What?" Cam replied. "What more do you need to know? He admitted to killing the Ultimate Imposter and going along with her plan to masquerade his own murder. She even dressed up like him to pull it off."

"Even I admit to being suspicious of his claims at first but I can't find any other problems with what he says. The pieces seem to fit," said Jonathan.

"I thought you said you were going to fight! Don't wimp out on me now!" Deva shouted at me.

"He's probably just upset about this outcome. I mean he did know him better than the rest of us did," said Chihiro.

"No, that's not it. I've come to terms with this. There's just something I need to know that only he can answer," I replied.

"Okay, I'm fine with it. Another couple seconds of living is fine by me," said Hajime.

"It's actually about your girlfriend. The Ultimate Imposter," I said.

"Yeah, what about her?" Hajime asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who was she?" I asked.

"What do you mean? I told you she never revealed her true identity to me," Hajime replied.

"That's not what I meant. I'm asking you who she was when you met her and while you were both playing the game?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Shiro asked.

"I guess I'm just curious, and I'd like to know more about her," I said. I didn't even know why I was asking these questions. I was just mindlessly stalling for time.

Hajime chuckled. "Okay, well if you must know. I met her a couple of months before all this craziness started. We were both mid-term transfer students. Me from the Reserve Department and her from overseas, at least that's what she told me and everyone else. She said her name was Chiaki Nanami, and that she was known as the Ultimate Gamer."

"Ultimate Gamer?" Cam replied. "You mean like she was good at video games and stuff?"

"Exactly," Hajime replied. "She was one of those classic girl gamer nerds and she was sure to show it. The only problem was that she played video games all the time so her sleeping pattern was kind of out of whack. She had the amazing ability to sometimes fall asleep during mid-sentence. And when she was wide awake she had this sort of ambiguous way of talking, always ending the things she said with either "I think" or "maybe"."

"With those kind of traits she was definitely an ugly woman," said Yasuke.

"Oh no that couldn't be further from the truth," said Hajime as he let out a chuckle. "She was really cute despite her bad habits. Her whole aura sort of reminded me of a bunny actually."

Micho giggled. "She sounds nice."

"She was," Hajime said with a sad smile. "My one regret is trying to shut her out. Maybe if I was there for her more she wouldn't have been taken advantage of and have been forced to make this sacrifice for us."

'Chiaki Nanami?' I repeated the Ultimate Imposter persona's name in my head. Then my eyes widened with insight. 'Of course. C. N. Just like what was written on those gaming devices I found in her room. And she must have been that unrecognizable girl on Makoto's bulletin board. But that doesn't help me much. I don't even know what I'm looking for exactly.'

"Well if that's all I guess we should get back to voting time," Hajime said as the others placed their hands back on their levers and prepared to vote.

"Finally, now if there are no more interruptions, let's get on with it already," Monokuma said in an exasperated tone.

'That answers a few questions. But something still doesn't feel right,' I thought to myself. Then I noticed Izuru's gaze. It was like he was telling me with his eyes "you know this isn't over, figure it out already". 'Looks like he's not coming to our rescue this time. I know he knows the truth. If only he wasn't so damn stubborn.' Then I looked to Nagito. He looked like he was ready to throw his life away along with everyone else. 'Nagito claims to know the truth too but he's not willing to share it either. They want me to figure it out for whatever reason. Come on Akira, think, think dammit, think!'

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

 _Ask more about the Ultimate Imposter_

 _Ask Hajime about how he and Chiaki met_

 _Say nothing and go with the flow_

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose first option** ) "Wait a second!" I exclaimed suddenly.

Monokuma sighed. "Ugh, what now?! This is getting tedious!"

"Seriously dude, what's the hold up?" Nate asked.

"Akira, is something wrong?" Nodaka asked in a concerned tone. It was like her attitude towards me had done a complete 180.

"There's something I'm curious about," I replied uneasily. I was literally grasping at straws at that point and making up a question about whatever came to mind.

"Yeah?" Hajime replied calmly, like he had nothing to worry about.

"I know you said that the Ultimate Imposter was disguised as Chiaki Nanami for the whole time you were imprisoned together but I'd like to know if you ever saw her change into someone else. Like one of your friends, for example?" I asked.

"Hmm, not that I can recall," Hajime replied. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

 _Akane Owari_

 _Junko Enoshima_

 _Makoto Naegi_

 _Byakuya Togami_

 _Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu_

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose fourth option** ) "How about Togami-kun? Did she ever dress up as him? It didn't have to be exact but maybe a good replica?"

"Why are you asking about Togami-san suddenly?" Jose asked in confusion. And then his eyes widened with insight. "Wait, you don't think?"

I looked to Cam. "Yano-kun, do you still have…Frankencamera?" I hesitated in saying the camera's nickname.

"Huh? I thought we already…?" Then Cam's eyes widened as well. "Holy crap, you're a freaking genius!" Cam excitedly pulled out Mahiru Koizumi's remodeled camera and hastily turned it on.

I glance back at Hajime and I saw him twitch slightly at the sight of the camera. Unfortunately, nobody else saw it though. "Why are we going over Koizumi's camera again?" Nodaka asked in a disgruntled manner. "There's nothing on there but…" Then her eyes widened as well. "No way!" she exclaimed. "You're amazing Akira, I could just kiss you!"

"…" everyone went silent.

That threw me through a loop. "Um, run that by me one more time?"

Nodaka seemed to realize her slip of the tongue as did everyone else. We all gave her the strangest looks and her face immediately turned bright red. "I mean that I completely forgot about that picture and I couldn't believe that you remembered something so vital so I was happy! I didn't say anything else! I didn't say anything at all! And if you did hear anything else I suggest you forget it because it's just some weird teenage boy delusion! Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

I decided to tease her a little. "Are you sure? Because I swear I heard…"

"You heard nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You jerk! You pervert! You moron! You numbskull! You cute idiot!" Nodaka shouted so loud that her voice echoed off the dungeon-like walls of the class trial grounds. And upon calling me the last name she immediately clasped her hands over her mouth and took a vow of silence.

I sweatdropped at her odd behavior. 'She's definitely acting weirder. She's still insulting me but now it's all playful. Like teasing. What the heck is going on with her?'

"Hoshi-chan's a tsundere," Beigoma muttered. "And now she's moving in on Kira Onii-chan. *Stare*." Beigoma began to stare intensely at Nodaka.

'Why I am I surrounded by weird girls?' I asked myself.

"Um, excuse me?" Hajime got our attention again. "What's this all about a camera?" Cam held up Mahiru's camera for Hajime to see. "Is that Mahiru's digital camera? What happened to it? It looks horrible now."

"Some heartless bastard tried to kill the poor little guy," Cam replied. "It took all I had to get him in proper working condition again. Luckily the damage was contained only to the outside, so the memory's still intact. And we found a very interesting photo stored inside," Cam explained.

"You don't say?" Hajime replied. Cam passed the camera down to Hajime and showed him the photo in the camera's memory. The photo showed an image of a fat Byakuya Togami that we couldn't explain before. But now that the Ultimate Imposter theories were lying out on the table it was fair game to assume that the other Byakuya Togami was really the Ultimate Imposter.

"Hmm, I see," Hajime said as he stared at the photo of the fat Byakuya Togami. "I guess that could be her. But I'm not quite sure. I certainly never saw her as anyone besides Chiaki, and certainly not as one of the others. Maybe Mahiru took this photo before she died?"

Then it came like a bolt of lightning. 'Wait! What did he just say?!' I exclaimed inwardly.

"Sorry, I know you guys aren't satisfied with the information I have on her but the truth is she was just as much a mystery to me as she was to you." Hajime handed the camera back down the ring to Cam. Then Hajime turned to face me. "Before we get started again, do you have any more questions Akira-kun?" Hajime asked with a gentle smile.

I returned the smile. 'You can't fool me, you've dug your own grave you imposter. And now I just need some help to bury you under all your lies,' I thought to myself. "Not quite yet. There's one last thing I want to say."

"Oh and what's that?" Hajime asked.

"No that's wrong!" I exclaimed.

* * *

A/N: In case you haven't noticed there are several discrepancies about this so-called Hajime Hinata. Two have already been presented actually. One is very easy to figure out as it is based on another character's testimony, but the other can probably only be figured out by true Danganronpa fans. Hintity-hint-hint, check the beginning of the chapter. Let's see if you guys can guess where the faults lie before Akira unveils them next time when the killer's true identity is finally revealed.


	18. Chapter 1, Part 2

A/N: Sorry about this, I lost track of time and decided it would be best to split it into two parts. Hopefully I will have part two up by next week. But just to let you know this two-parter will be the end. Now are you ready for the truth? Ready for an all-out debate between you the MC and the killer? Ready to witness a thrilling execution for the loser? Then let us begin. Without further ado, Despair TV proudly presents the climax of the class trial of Hajime Hinata!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 2: No regrets, Part 1**

* * *

"Um, excuse me?" Hajime got our attention again. "What's this all about a camera?" Cam held up Mahiru's camera for Hajime to see. "Is that Mahiru's digital camera? What happened to it? It looks horrible now."

"Some heartless bastard tried to kill the poor little guy," Cam replied. "It took all I had to get him in proper working condition again. Luckily the damage was contained only to the outside, so the memory's still intact. And we found a very interesting photo stored inside," Cam explained.

"You don't say?" Hajime replied. Cam passed the camera down to Hajime and showed him the photo in the camera's memory. The photo showed an image of a fat Byakuya Togami that we couldn't explain before. But now that the Ultimate Imposter theories were lying out on the table it was fair game to assume that the other Byakuya Togami was really the Ultimate Imposter.

"Hmm, I see," Hajime said as he stared at the photo of the fat Byakuya Togami. "I guess that could be her. But I'm not quite sure. I certainly never saw her as anyone besides Chiaki, and certainly not as one of the others. Maybe Mahiru took this photo before she died?"

Then it came like a bolt of lightning. 'Wait! What did he just say?!' I exclaimed inwardly.

"Sorry, I know you guys aren't satisfied with the information I have on her but the truth is she was just as much a mystery to me as she was to you." Hajime handed the camera back down the ring to Cam. Then Hajime turned to face me. "Before we get started again, do you have any more questions Akira-kun?" Hajime asked with a gentle smile.

I returned the smile. 'You can't fool me, you've dug your own grave you imposter. And now I just need some help to bury you under all your lies,' I thought to myself. "Not quite yet. There's one last thing I want to say."

"Oh and what's that?" Hajime asked.

"No that's wrong!" I exclaimed.

Hajime's eyes widened in shock. "Eh?"

"You liar. You're not him. I don't know who you are but I know for a fact that you're not Hajime Hinata," I said as I glared at the imposter Hajime.

Hajime just responded with awkward laughter. "Heh, heh, okay very funny Akira-kun. But seriously enough is enough. I think your paranoia is starting to eat you alive. What are you even saying? I'm not me. How can that even be possible?"

"Maita-kun, what exactly are you getting at?" Izuru asked. "Just a few minutes ago you seemed dead set on believing your friend's words and declaring him guilty." He wore a nonchalant smile to fane ignorance of my suspicions even though I was sure he felt the same way. "And now you're saying that this person isn't really Hajime Hinata? What an interesting turn of events. I can't wait to see what comes of it."

"Oh, shut up already will you!" Micho exclaimed. "You're still on the chopping block for trying to derail us from the truth. Until I figure out what your endgame is I'm not taking my eyes off you for a second." Then Micho turned to me. "Now Maita-kun, I know this may be a difficult choice to make, I mean he's your friend and all, but we have to end this once and for all. I know it would probably make it easier to say that he's just an imposter but without any proof it's kind of hard to believe. Sorry, I'm just speaking as an attorney."

"No, I get what you're saying Auruka-san. But that's not what this is about." I pointed to "Hajime". "He is not Hajime Hinata. That's all there is too it. I'm not asking the rest of you to just go ahead and believe me without any proof. I just want you to ask yourselves one thing. Do you really think this is over?" I asked.

"…" The others gave me disheartened looks. It appeared that they were all thinking the same thing but were too tired to say anything about it. The amount of time we stood hear talking and being suspicious of others was weighing heavy on our hearts. We couldn't take much more of this. It wouldn't be long until we would snap again and decide to give up. That's why we were so eager to end the trial with so many unanswered questions. But we couldn't do that. No matter how much more pain we had to endure we just couldn't half-ass this decision and call it a day. These were our lives we were playing with here.

"No matter how you look at it, this isn't over. Not by a long shot. I know that you're all tired and sick of this madness, but we can't throw in the towel just yet. We have too many questions and not nearly enough answers. So I say we stop guessing at things and get to the bottom of this mystery once and for all," I said in order to raise up everyone's spirits.

"You say that, but is there really anything left to discuss?" Shiro asked. "I mean can't you just go over the case one more time out loud and fill in the gaps along the way? Preferably with visual aids, like I don't know a comic book?"

"What are you even going on about?" Cam asked Shiro.

"I don't know I'm just tired," Shiro said in exasperation.

"Kira Onii-chan makes a good point. I'm not satisfied either and even though I'm exhausted, if he's willing to go further than so am I. It's the little sister's duty to follow behind their big brother after all," Beigoma said cheerfully.

"Seriously what kind of imouto-moe game were you picked up from anyway?" Nodaka said with a sneer.

"Um, what's imouto-moe?" Beigoma asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Seriously you know about tsundere but you don't know about that?!" Nodaka's tone intensified. "No one is that freakin' innocent! What are you hiding?!"

"As stimulating as this conversation is could you "lovely" ladies get back on topic please?" Jose asked.

"Who asked you short stuff?" Nodaka asked.

Jose glared at Nodaka but ignored her none the less. "As I was saying, I agree with Maita-san. Though I may just be a historian I refuse to record false events. My records shall remain honest and true like a periodical, the day I make one false note in my journals is the day I stop living. So I'm not leaving until I get the big picture completely."

"Wow, thanks Historia-kun," I said in reply to Jose's surprising helpfulness.

"Don't get the wrong idea, it's not like I'll automatically believe anything you say. I just want to find out the truth, and you'd have to be pretty blind not to notice that something's still not right," Jose said in denial.

"Um, okay thanks I guess?" I replied with a sweatdrop.

Micho sighed. "Well I do have to admit that I have my doubts about all this. But I just can't think about where to start looking for more answers."

"Yeah, Izuru really screwed us up. I can't tell what's legit anymore dudes, it's a real drag," said Nate.

"When in doubt blame me for you own incompetence," Izuru remarked. "That seems to be the generable flow of things now."

"It's your own fault for trying to mess with them," said Nagito.

"That would be the pot calling the kettle black," Izuru replied.

"I messed with them to help them, you did it because you think otherwise things will be boring for you. You've got such an interesting mindset Izuru-kun but even though you're the Ultimate Hope you've got this belief that everything will eventually be filled with despair. Negativity breeds negativity as they say," said Nagito.

"Would you all please just shut up?!" Hajime suddenly shouted at us.

"…" the courtroom went silent in reply.

"What the hell is the matter with you guys?" Hajime asked. "Seriously, you're accusing me of not being me? And now you want to restart this investigation over again. No way, I want this to end now. Don't you get it, I've endured this mind-numbing shit for six years and I can't take another damn minute! So you all better just man up and end this right now!"

"Heh, what's the rush all of a sudden?" Jose asked. "You're looking awfully suspicious all of a sudden you know?"

"I'm not doing it on purpose, I'm just getting annoyed with these never ending questions. And now all of a sudden you're telling me I'm not who I say I am. It's ridiculous. I am Hajime Hinata, I swear!" Hajime exclaimed.

"No you're not, you might claim you are him but I know for a fact that you can't be him," I replied.

"Oh yeah, Mr. Paranoid?" I could tell Hajime was getting testy. "Fine, I'll play along. Ask me anything about myself and I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the answer. You know me the best right, Akira-kun? Then come on, give me your best shot. No matter what the answer's going to be the same. I am Hajime Hinata, I don't have any reason to lie to you otherwise," Hajime implored.

"If he's really not Mr. Hajime Hinata he's going to great lengths to pretend that he is," Keiko commented.

"Qui, le imposter is quite stubborn, no?" Connie added.

"I'm not an imposter, how many times do I have to say it? I am Hajime Hinata. I'm from the Reserve Department, for crying out loud. I'm just an ordinary high school student who just wants this nightmare to end. Just vote for me and this will all be over. Please, I'm begging you just let me rest in peace already!" Hajime exclaimed.

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

* * *

 _Vote for Hajime Hinata._

 _Deny the imposter._

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose second option** ) "I don't care what you say. You are not Hinata-kun," I replied. "You've already dug your own grave, and I know just the person who can help me bury you."

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

I looked around at all my friends and then my eyes landed on Nagito. "You're the only one!" I exclaimed.

"Komaeda-kun…" I said, getting Nagito's attention.

"Eh? Me? How nice of you to call on worthless trash like me," said Nagito.

"I have a question for you concerning Koizumi-san," I replied.

"A question about Mahiru-chan? Fire away," Nagito said while flashing that care-free smile of his.

"You said that Koizumi-san always had two cameras on her person, right?" I asked. "A film-based camera and a digital camera?"

"That's correct, Mahiru-chan would never go anywhere without her cameras, they were like her children. But she wasn't very stingy with them with them either. She would hand them out to any of her friends if they wanted to take pictures as well," Nagito replied. "She even once let me take a few even though I was sure I would break her cameras if I got my hands onto them. But she was so nice that she gave me perfect directions on how to operate them and even went out of her way to observe me when I told her about my fears."

"I'm not sure if that was kindness so much as concern for her property," Cam commented.

"At any rate, why are you asking about Koizumi-san at this point in time if I may ask?" Nagito asked.

I turned my sight to Hajime. "If you recall earlier when we discussing the topic of the other Byakuya Togami possibly being the Ultimate Imposter, Hajime had this to say when confronted with Frankencamera's photo…"

 **Flashback:**

" _Um, excuse me?" Hajime got our attention again. "What's this all about a camera?" Cam held up Mahiru's camera for Hajime to see. "Is that Mahiru's digital camera? What happened to it? It looks horrible now."_

" _Some heartless bastard tried to kill the poor little guy," Cam replied. "It took all I had to get him in proper working condition again. Luckily the damage was contained only to the outside, so the memory's still intact. And we found a very interesting photo stored inside," Cam explained._

" _You don't say?" Hajime replied. Cam passed the camera down to Hajime and showed him the photo in the camera's memory. The photo showed an image of a fat Byakuya Togami that we couldn't explain before. But now that the Ultimate Imposter theories were lying out on the table it was fair game to assume that the other Byakuya Togami was really the Ultimate Imposter._

" _Hmm, I see," Hajime said as he stared at the photo of the fat Byakuya Togami. "I guess that could be her. But I'm not quite sure. I certainly never saw her as anyone besides Chiaki, and certainly not as one of the others._ _ **Maybe Mahiru took this photo before she died**_ _?"_

"Hinata-kun, if I'm not mistaken your exact words were that Koizumi-san might've taken that picture we showed you before she died, correct?" I asked Hajime.

"Yeah, what about it?" Hajime asked.

"That contradicts a statement that I remembered Komaeda-kun made earlier on when the camera was first presented as evidence," I replied.

"Eh, I said something like that?" Nagito asked. "Could you please remind me Akira-kun? As I've said before I have a very bad memory."

"Sure, if I remember correctly your words were as follows: "

 **Flashback:**

" _Hmm, my memory's not the best mind you but I seem to recall that Mahiru-chan always had two very expensive cameras on her person," Nagito suddenly said. "_ _ **The one Cam-kun has is her digital one, which she hardly ever used.**_ _ **The one she mainly used was also one that ran on film**_ _, she used to say that the best pictures were the ones that you developed yourself. If she came into this game with both of her cameras then it makes sense that she would only use her film-based camera._ _ **She would only pull out her digital one in case anyone else wanted to take photos or else she ran out of film.**_ _"_

"According to Komaeda-kun, Koizumi-san hardly ever used her digital camera. Her film-based one was the main one she used. So it's highly doubtful that Koizumi-san was the one who took that photo," I explained.

Hajime scoffed. "That's your big ground-breaking evidence? You're testing the memory of a guy who hasn't seen Mahiru in six years against mine when I was one of the people who watched her die? Where the hell do you get off?! Mocking Mahiru like that?! I know damn well that she loved film the most! I'll have you know that I helped her take photos to lift the others spirits! She even promised me that when we got out of this hellhole she would give me one of her old cameras and teach me the ends and outs of photography! You have no idea what kind of person she was! Most people thought she was cold and unfriendly because she always seemed to talk down to anyone who got close to her but I knew the real Mahiru Koizumi! She was kind and nurturing and she didn't deserve to die! So don't tell me you know one of my friends better than I do because that is a load of crap!"

"…" the others remained quiet and began to gain solemn expressions on their faces.

"That's not what I'm asking. I don't want to know about how well you knew her I just want to know if she ever ran out of film for her favorite camera," I replied.

"I…I don't know. After she and Hiyoko died nobody went into their rooms. Monokuma locked them up and made them off limits," Hajime replied, trying to calm down.

"Of course I did," Monokuma suddenly spoke up. "Once you're killed off you have no place left in the game. You have no business meddling in the affairs of the dead. You should only be thinking about the living…and killing them to survive."

"Shut the hell up!" Hajime shouted at Monokuma. "If you had given us the opportunity to mourn them properly things might've been different."

"Don't kid yourself, if anything you idiots would've been worse off. I see what I did as a favor to you," Monokuma replied.

"…" Hajime just remained silent and turned back to face the rest of us. "Now, do you believe me?"

"There's one simple way to check," said Yasuke. "Someone go look in Koizumi's case and see if you see any film canisters. If there are none in there then Koizumi might've been the one to take the picture with the digital camera."

"I'll go check," said Aya. Then the Ultimate Marine Biologist ran off to the section of the circular, dungeon-like courtroom where Mahiru's portion of the Final Destination museum was placed. After a few seconds of peering inside the case, Aya rushed back to the rest of us. "The other camera was there but I didn't see any film canisters. Looks like Koizumi-senpai might've taken the photo of that weird Togami-senpai after all."

"See?" Hajime replied. "Mahiru was always the sneaky one, her real talent was taking pictures when no one was looking. I always told her that she would be a great investigative journalist but all she really wanted to do was take pictures of people's smiles. She wanted to capture her target's true self as she called it."

"So you deny taking the photo?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do," Hajime replied.

"Hmm, that's interesting because someone had to have known that the photo of the other Togami-kun was on the camera otherwise there wouldn't be any other reason to break it. And if you didn't take the photo how would anybody else know that the photo was on the camera?" I asked.

"What…what do you mean?" Hajime asked.

"Think of it like this. If Koizumi-san did take the photo before she died then the person who broke the camera had to have been someone who knew about the photo and wanted to erase it," I explained.

"Is that really the case though?" Micho asked. "Couldn't Koizumi-chan just have broken the camera right before she died? I mean the camera was in the art repository right? It could've just stayed in there that whole time until Junmaru-kun found it, couldn't it?"

"Yeah," Hajime was quick to agree with Micho. "None of us stepped foot in the art room after Mahiru and Hiyoko died. It could've been there the whole time and no one would've known."

"I don't think that's the case," I replied. I turned my attention to Aya. "Kisaragi-san, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," Aya replied.

"When you looked into Koizumi-san's case did you see any kind of void for an object that looked like it used to be there?" I asked.

Aya's eyes widened in insight. "Come to think of it, yeah there was a void in the case. It looked kind of rectangular in shape actually."

"Like it might've housed another camera in there?" I asked.

"Yeah exactly," Aya replied.

"Okay, so what?" Hajime asked.

"So everything," I replied. "If both cameras were in the museum case then it stands to reason that both of them were still on Koizumi-san's person. That means that the digital camera was still fully functioning by the time Koizumi-san died, right? So even if she was the person to take the photo it doesn't rule out the fact that someone else broke it. And did Nanami-san mention anything about the camera to you when you were helping set things up for her plan?"

"Eh…no, she didn't," Hajime said as he looked down at the floor in defeat.

"That's strange isn't it? Considering that the other Byakuya Togami is most likely the Ultimate Imposter?" I asked.

"…" Then Hajime sighed. "Okay fine. You got me. I broke the camera. But I didn't take the photo, I swear. Mahiru mentioned it to me before she died and up until that point I ignored it. But after Chiaki told me what she planned to do I figured that her plan would run smoother if I eliminated that one trace that she was the Ultimate Imposter."

"Then why not get rid of all that damning evidence about her true identity in her room instead?" I asked. "I mean there were wigs, photos of different people, and even some of Nanami-san's game consoles."

He chose to feign ignorance. "Was there anything like that in her room? She was a very private person. Whenever we wanted to talk in private we would always go to my room." Then he sighed. "I guess I know now why she was such a private person. She was hiding a big secret after all."

"So that's your story? Are you sure you don't want to change it?" I asked.

Hajime smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What's with the third degree all of a sudden, Akira-kun? I thought we were supposed to be friends."

"That's another thing that's odd. You keep saying that we're friends and that if I keep asking you personal questions I'll know for sure that you're the real Hajime Hinata. But you seem to be forgetting something very crucial here. We're not friends. I may have wanted to be friends with you but before I came here the most I knew you as was my classmate that I never even had a single interaction with. We couldn't even say we were acquaintances because we never talked once. Why are you confusing our relationship?"

"I'm not confusing anything. We're working together to fight Ultimate Despair, doesn't that make us both comrades and friends?" Hajime asked.

"Alright then maybe you can answer me this?" I asked. "Who was our male class representative?"

A few sweat bullets began to appear on Hajime's face. "Sure that was…um…hang on it's on the tip of my tongue…" Then after a few moments he began to laugh nervously. "Heh, heh, that's funny it's suddenly slipped my mind."

"It was me. The class nominated the both of us because we were both part of the go-home club and didn't have anything better to do otherwise. I won by one vote, remember?" I replied.

"Oh yeah," Hajime was starting to get nervous. "Silly me. How could I forget such an important thing?"

"Okay that's it, now I'm suspicious too," said Micho. "I might've been able to forgive the camera situation but the fact that you would forget such an obvious detail when you were the only other person present to it is completely unheard of."

"Aki has mentioned that class representative detail at least two times since we came here," said Jonathan. "This makes three. Why is it that we remember that story better than compared to a person who was actually there?"

"I trust that judgement. This guy is programmed to seek out miniscule details like that," said Sawa.

"Cut me some slack, it was six years ago. You guys just met up today, of course your memories are better," said Hajime.

"Says the person without any gaps in his memories," said Jose.

"Ugh, you know that's not what I meant," Hajime replied.

"I know exactly what you meant. What's the matter Haj-i-me~? You seem to be getting a little upset, eh?" Jose asked.

"I'm getting upset because we're just wasting time. Monokuma's not just going to sit around waiting on us forever, you know," Hajime replied.

"Normally you would be correct," said Monokuma. "However, I'm enjoying this new line of questioning. Especially since it's making you so uncomfortable, Haj-i-me-kun~," he said to match Jose's mocking tone.

"Arrgh!" Hajime grunted. Then he started to smile again and he began to laugh in frustration as he started to pull at his hair. "This is ridiculous. I am Hajime Hinata! Dammit what do I have to do to get you guys to believe me?"

Jonathan scoffed. "Maybe you could convince us if you gave us some more information on…" Jonathan eye's suddenly widened as he stared at Hajime. "What the…?" he muttered quietly to himself. Then Jonathan looked up at the ceiling for a split second, and then he looked back down at Hajime. Then back up at the ceiling and back and forth a few more times before he exclaimed, "Holy crap! Scratch that you fake, you're done!" Then he turned to me. "Aki! Aki! Aki!" he shouted while waving his arms in the air. "Hair! Hair! Hair!" he shouted as he pointed at Hajime and then up at the ceiling.

"Hair?" I looked at the others' expressions and saw that they were just as confused as I was. Jonathan was apparently too anxious to outright tell me what he wanted to tell me so instead I decided to follow his cryptic hints and looked at Hajime's hair. Then I looked up at the ceiling and saw that Jonathan was motioning to the tapestry of Hajime hanging from the ceiling. Assuming that Jonathan was also referring to the tapestry Hajime's hair I studied it as well. But for the life of me I couldn't figure out what Jonathan was so wigged out about. Like Jonathan did before, I looked back and forth at the imposter Hajime and the tapestry of Hajime. 'What does Jonathan see anyway? I can't see it no matter…wait.' My eye movement increased as I compared and contrasted the two Hajimes' hair. 'Wait. Wait. Wait. Oh my God!' I looked to Jonathan with questioning eyes in an effort to find out if what I saw was the thing he saw. A nod from the Ultimate Procrastinator confirmed it was.

"Could you idiots stop playing charades and tell us what you see already?!" Yasuke shouted.

"Ahoge!" Jonathan and I shouted.

"Eh?" everyone else in the courtroom cocked their heads in reply to our outburst.

"Auruka-san, Matsuda-kun, Muras…I mean, Deva-kun?" I called out to the three of them.

"Yeah?" the three of them replied in unison.

"You all have ahoges, do you not?" I asked.

"Yeah?" again they replied.

"And do they always stay the way they are? I mean do they ever shift position or anything?" I asked.

"Well, I think gel-based ahoges can change position if you want them to, but if an ahoge is natural like mine then…no mine always stays in the same place. But what about it?" Micho asked.

"Mine's natural too, but why are we talking about ahoges all of a sudden?" Yasuke asked.

"Same with mine but I don't see the big deal," said Deva.

"The big deal is that Hinata-kun has an ahoge also," I said as I pointed at Hajime.

Everyone's attention turned to Hajime again. And for some reason he seemed kind of nervous about having all our eyes on him. "Yeah, so what?" Hajime replied. "So I have an ahoge? Big freaking deal. I don't see what that has to do with me being an imposter."

"And your ahoge is natural as well, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is. Again big freaking deal," Hajime replied in a stern tone.

I smiled at the knowledge that he had just slipped up. "Heh, that's funny. Then why is it that your ahoge is facing the wrong way?"

Hajime's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Everyone I'd like you to direct your attention to the tapestry of Hinata-kun hanging from the ceiling. Note the position of the ahoge in the tapestry is different compared to that of the "real" Hinata-kun. According to the tapestry Hinata-kun's ahoge should be facing the right side of his head, but look at the Hinata-kun standing before us. His ahoge is facing left. Left not right. While the ahoge is in the same crooked shape it's facing the wrong direction," I explained. When the others finally saw it several gasps rang throughout the courtroom.

"No way, the ahoge really is different," said Micho.

"How the heck did you guys notice such a small thing?" Nate asked.

"I guess Junmaru-kun isn't just a bunch of talk after all," said Sawa.

"Qui, le Messieurs tre incroyable!" Connie exclaimed.

"That really was incredible, there's no other way of describing it," said Shiro.

"Way to go Kira Onii-chan and Junmaru-kun!" Beigoma exclaimed.

"Jonathan-kun's talent is truly admirable. Such brilliant hope envelops his whole aura," said Nagito.

"Heh, only now do you idiots recognize my brilliance," Jonathan replied.

"His attitude still leaves a lot to be desired though," said Keiko as she sweatdropped.

"Still I'm convinced, though I had my suspicions from the beginning all these discrepancies lead me to believe something much bigger is going on than we previously thought," said Jose.

"It's such a miniscule detail that we probably wouldn't have noticed it if not for the help of the Ultimate Procrastinator," I said. I looked to Jonathan. "I owe you big for this one."

"Don't sweat it Aki, just do me a favor and bury this imposter already," Jonathan replied as he flashed me a thumb's up.

Then all of a sudden loud, off-putting laughter echoed throughout the courtroom. It was coming from none other than Hajime. At this point it looked like he was beyond frustrated. His hands were pulling at his hair and he was sweating profusely. "This is absolutely ridiculous!" he shouted. "Why the hell are you guys doing this?! You should be ready to finish this trial already and move onto the game! I mean, this was meant to be in the prologue but you've all taken so damn long that now chapter one is involved in it too! It's just too much! Don't you idiots get it already?! You've won! Any normal person in your situation would proceed to the next round but not you guys, no! Instead you want to waste time arguing over semantics and minuscule details! Not to mention my fucking hair! Give me a break already and end this!"

"The fact that you want this to be over already is suspicious in itself," said Jose. "When we vote for you that's it, you get executed and die. It's almost like you want us to rush our judgement and vote for Hajime Hinata as the killer, isn't it?"

Hajime was starting to get red in the face. "Arrgh! Enough already! I am Hajime Hinata! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am!"

"He's losing it. If that isn't a sign of guilt I don't know what is," said Jonathan.

"I can't believe this! You conniving little…! You are a fake aren't you?!" Yasuke shouted at Hajime.

A vein started to appear in Hajime's forehead. "I am Hajime! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am!" Hajime shouted over and over again.

"He's losing it," said Nodaka. "Enough whining you little fake. We beat you fair and square so show us who you really are already. Though we should already know who you are, Ultimate Imposter."

"…" Then all of a sudden Hajime stopped shouting. And then it happened. "* _Fufu…_ *" It was soft at first but soon it turned into insanity. "* _Heh, heh, heh, heh._ *" He smiled in a way befitting of a lunatic and his eyes grew dark and listless. "* _Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, hahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahaha!_ *" He gripped onto the railing of his stand so hard that I thought it might break under the pressure. "You're all fools! Idiots! Dopes! Morons! You're all fucking retards! Don't you idiots see that this is what Ultimate Despair wants?! They want you to fail and they want me to leave! I've been in this nightmare for six long years and now look at me! I'm up here giggling like a fucking maniac! They've broken me! They've broken me so much that I think I've actually gotten to the point where I relish in the pain and the sadness! That's what Ultimate Despair is! They are a plague upon mankind that will not stop until you are as sick and twisted as they are! They starve themselves, cause havoc and mayhem, commit suicide, kill their friends and families, and even commit necrophilia to defy their corpses! They are fucking monsters! There is no other way to describe it! And I don't want to be like them!"

Hajime started shaking. "But it's what I'm becoming! Despair is really just like a disease! Like smallpox or the bubonic plague it won't be long before it kills me from the inside out! Despair is that contagious! But I don't want it to come to that! No matter what I want my friends deaths to mean something, and if I give into despair then it will have been all for nothing! And it can't end like that! It can't!" He started to cry and the tears began to stream down his face. "Please…I'm begging you all! Kill me! Kill me before I become a monster like them! You killing me is the only way there is a chance for you to save the world! You have to kill me! Don't act like idiots any further! Just vote for me! Do it! Fast and painless like ripping off a Band-Aid! Kill me! Just kill me! I can't live with myself with the way I am now and you need to do it in order to survive! It's a win-win! Please I beg of you!" Hajime folded his hands and pleaded with us. "Please kill me!"

"…" we all stayed silent for a few moments before I spoke up.

"Stop it already. At this point it's just pathetic. We know you're not him. No matter what you say you aren't him. I know that he would never turn out like this. You're polluting his memory by acting like this while looking like him and using his voice," I replied. "I don't care what you say, you are not Hajime Hinata! He would never give into despair no matter what! He admired this school even more than I did! He loved hope! He wouldn't just give up like this and run away from a fight with his tail between his legs!"

"What the hell do you know?!" Hajime shouted back at me. "I watched my friends drop dead one after another! I was forced into a situation in which I almost ate their bodies for Christ's sake! I pushed my girlfriend away because I was afraid of what I might do if it got any worse in this hellhole! And then to make matters worse I had to kill her so she could willingly sacrifice herself for me! Anyone, even your perfect image of me would break under all that shit! I hate myself for what I've become, I do! But there's no saving me now so that's why I want to die!"

"That's not it. I meant that if you were Hajime Hinata wouldn't you be fighting with all your might to make sure that you didn't die? But instead you're going along willingly with these ridiculous rules and are only fighting tooth and nail to prove that you're Hajime Hinata. That's what's so suspicious. It's just like Historia-kun said, you're trying to make us rush our judgement with all these sob stories about how bad it was for you here. But I'm starting to realize something. We have no idea about what went on here besides the testimony of you and Monokuma. And right now I don't trust either one of you," I said.

"Smart, very smart," said Monokuma.

"Shut up!" all of us shouted together.

"Geez, okay fine. I know when I'm not wanted," Monokuma replied.

"The point is "Hinata-kun" that we know you are a fake so you might as well come out and admit it," I said.

Hajime laughed. "Heh, heh, God you are so annoying. If I didn't regret killing Chiaki I would kill you in a heartbeat too. How many times do I have to say it for it to get through your thick skull? I am Hajime Hinata. I was born on January 1st, I'm a Capricorn, my favorite thing to eat is sakura mochi, and my least favorite thing to eat is kusa mochi. I am from the Reserve Department and the only reason I got the opportunity to come to the main school was because I wrote a mediocre essay which just so happened to get picked. Akira-kun at this point in time I would've loved to switch places with you back then. Then maybe you'll know what it feels like to lose your friends and kill your girlfriend all the while being trapped in some God forsaken hell! You say that I'm not Hajime Hinata?! Well all I've heard so far proving that is a few lapses in memory and oh yeah, my ahoge being lopsided! You want to brand me as an imposter then I suggest you give me something more solid! It's useless though, you won't find anything because I am who I say I am!"

"That's how you've managed to stay secretive for so long, eh Ultimate Imposter? You're conniving and manipulative, and you can read people so well that you know automatically how to mimic their personality. Well we see through your tricks and I'm going to unmask you once and for all. Because guess what? I'm not finished yet. There's one sure fire thing to reduce your argument to pieces. Evidence contradicting this whole plan that you say Nanami-san concocted." I asked my other self to pick out the evidence I needed to prove my point. (Ammunition needed: **Hajime's body** ). "I can prove it with this!" I exclaimed.

"The fact of the matter is that we already discerned what truly happened at the time of the murder," I said. "While you claim that "Nanami-san" went along with your plan willingly and allowed you to kill her while she was disguised as you that doesn't explain the clear signs of a struggle at the crime scene. "Nanami-san's" clothes were ripped and torn in several places and along with the multitude of stab wounds in "her" abdomen there was also a large gash on her forehead. Upon further inspection of the room we found that the bloody gash was most likely caused by the killer pushing "Nanami-san" face first and subdued her with the blow."

"But wait, I thought that we already said that our initial assumption was wrong because Izu-chan botched up our way of thinking?" Shiro asked.

"No, now that I think about it just because "Nanami-san" didn't intend to kill her killer like Kamukura-kun implied it doesn't mean that our original assumption was wrong about there being a struggle between the killer and "Nanami-san". If anything the evidence solely implies that there was a struggle. And according to the gloves used in the murder the person wearing them would have to be a female with a similar hand-size as Kirigiri-san," I explained.

"The gloves were a hoax you idiot!" Hajime shouted. "They were just a red herring to throw you off balance as was the faked signs of a struggle Chiaki and I concocted! We cut her clothes up on purpose and then she smashed her head into the iron plate on the window! Then after I killed her I dipped the gloves into her blood and then went off to hide the knife and the gloves in one of the storage units in the biology lab! You weren't supposed to find out about it but I let you because I'm trying to give up!"

"Huh, that's funny. I don't think I recall mentioning what "Nanami-san" collided with to give "her" that gash. Or the fact that the gloves and knife were hidden in the biology lab after the murder," I replied.

Hajime gasped.

"Letting loose a slip of the tongue now must mean we're close to the truth, eh?" I asked.

"…" Hajime remained silent.

"We've got you in a corner so you should just admit everything already and save us the trouble," said Jose.

"Hold on, there's something that doesn't make sense to me," said Micho. "Maita-kun, you said that you think the whole thing about the struggle involved in the murder was right on the nose, but doesn't that message we found in the box prove that theory is false?"

"Actually I was just about to get to that, Auruka-san," I replied. "First of all we've yet to answer what was buried inside the box to begin with. While we found one of Tanaka-kun's hamsters in our initial investigation I think the message written inside the box clearly clarifies that before that something else was buried inside. And I can only think of one thing that could be…" I asked my other self to figure out the most likely thing and then I finished my statement, "And that is Ikusaba-san's survival knife."

"The knife was buried inside the box?" Aya asked.

"Come to think of it, it makes sense that would be the case," Micho surmised as she stroked her chin. "If you think back about what the message said…"

 **Flashback:**

" _Whoever finds this message, I offer to you a warning that would be in your best interest to heed. I have a feeling my time is almost up, I can feel the despair in the air. It's thick and heavy, every time I breathe I feel like an ounce of my will to live drains from my body. The others are dead, their deaths self-inflicted, or so I thought. But I knew these people, they would never, especially not him. Which is why this whole mystery puzzled me for so long, why are we here? What did we do to deserve this horrible fate? Why do we choose death over life? These questions confounded me but now I think I finally understand. The dead live on. They live on through another medium. I know who's responsible for all this now. That person, they manipulated us one by one and corrupted us and dragged us into the pits of despair._ "

Shiro continued to read on. " _Though that person may be gone now, gone like the others, it was only to cast our doubt away from them. They are still here, watching, waiting, they've corrupted her now. She's gone even if she doesn't know it yet. I am all alone. She will find this eventually, only a matter of time. But I must stall her for as long as I can, and maybe just maybe I can bring the others back to. If that person was able to live in that most horrible way then maybe there's a chance that others can live on in the same way. I saw him after all, even though he might have been a tad different._ "

There was still a bit more. " _And to the girl I love, if you are the one who finds this and not the person controlling you, fight them, fight them with all your might. Those are my final wishes, but if this truly is all for not and you do end up killing me under that person's control then I just want you to know, I love you. I don't care who you pretended to be, it doesn't matter anymore. I love the girl who I know is still somewhere inside that web of darkness cast by that horrible person. If there is any justice in this horrible, nightmarish world at all they will burn in hell for all eternity._ _ **The weapon is the trigger to the darkness. As long as she doesn't get it that person has no power over her. She'd find it anywhere else, that person's eyes are everywhere and that person manipulates her every move.**_ _This may be the end but if that is the case then I would rather be killed by her hands than my own. I choose murder over suicide. That person will not get me!_ "

" _The weapon is the trigger to the darkness_ ," Micho repeated that line again. "It definitely sounds like whatever Hinata-kun was hiding in that box was most likely a weapon of some kind. It could be the knife, but there's still an off chance that it's not."

"Well if we want to know what's inside the box why don't we just ask the source?" Nate asked.

We all turned our eyes to "Hajime". His expression seemed a little more hostile than before but it appeared as if he had calmed down somewhat since his outburst. "So you guys want to know about that box, eh?" Then he sighed. "I had completely forgotten about that thing. I buried it a couple months ago back when I was still going through my questionable phase. But I can tell you this, the thing I buried inside was indeed the knife." His expression grew morose. And once again he played the sympathy card. "I wanted to get rid of that thing as soon as possible. I know it sounds odd but for the longest time the others and I were convinced that knife was cursed."

"Cursed? What do you mean?" Shiro asked.

"Unlike all the other weapons Monokuma gave us at the start of this horrible game, the way it went for each of the others' suicides was that they improvised and made use of whatever they could find to end their suffering. Sayaka used one of the kitchen knives, Mahiru and Hiyoko overdosed on some pills they found in the infirmary, Kazuichi hung himself using some of the wires in the physics lab, and even Byakuya set up this elaborate death of coating the pages of one of his books in some poison from the chemistry lab," the imposter Hajime said as he gave us a few examples. "You see there was this rule that Monokuma gave us at the start of the game. The more methodical the killing, the more points you get."

"Points? What's all this about points?" Yasuke asked.

"Allow me to explain," said Monokuma. "Just like you guys found out the hard way, Hajime-kun and the other students learned of the fate of the world after the tragedy that befell the first eight of them. So to keep them in such low spirits I proposed a little wager with them to get the killing started. You can call it a motive if you wish, though it did not pan out to be a motive for murder. There was only one motive for the whole game and it had to do with a system based on points. Points that could only be earned based on how difficult the murder mystery was to solve." As Monokuma began to explain his twisted point system I thought up disturbing visual aids in my head.

"Initially in murder mysteries, the killer plans out what they consider to be a perfect plan for murder. Thinking about who their victim will be, how they will kill them, the best time to target them, etc., etc." I pictured a shadowy figure thinking about their future crime.

Monokuma continued. "Planning out any sort of killing gives the killer ten points, however depending on the brilliance and utter convolutedness that their plan can entail the killer could earn double or even triple that amount. The next phase is the action phase of the killing, in which the killer acts on their crime and kills their victim. This can award up to thirty points depending on the killer's instincts. In other words, if the killer hesitates in their endeavor or even worse if their victim overpowers and escapes or kills them in retaliation the killer could be awarded points in the range of anywhere from zero to thirty points." First I pictured a shadowy figure standing over another shadowy figure while holding a knife in their hands and wearing a crazy look on their face. And then I pictured the shadowy figure with the knife sweating bullets and hesitating to murder the other shadowy figure, giving the victim enough time to overpower the killer and grab the knife to retaliate.

"And then once the sinful deed in question is finally done next comes the guilt trip, or in other words how the killer handles what they've done. Does it break them and make them admit their crimes flat out or entice them and give them a thrill to go all the way and pin the murder on someone else? Or even to kill again? While you think about that I should probably tell you that for the game it was possible to murder at most two people at a time. Even a murder mystery needs setbacks otherwise the fun would've been over when it was just getting good, you know?" Monokuma explained while holding back a giggle.

"And what was the point award for this mental phase?" Micho asked out of concern.

"Anywhere from one to ten points. One being a crybaby who wusses out and ten being a hardcore psycho," Monokuma explained. Two shadowy killers popped into my head, one very remorseful and crying over the body of their fallen friend and the other a psycho who licks the blood of the blade of their knife as they laugh.

"And the last phase of course being…the class trial," Hajime concluded. "If the killer is able to successfully throw off suspicion from themselves and cast it onto someone else then they can be awarded from zero to eighty points."

"If you get all the points out of each phase that adds up to a 150 points," said Jonathan. "Where did you guys learn your math?"

"It's specifically designed that way so the killer has a good chance at obtaining a hundred points," Monokuma explained. "Because if you get a hundred points then something good happens."

"Are you saying that if a killer obtained a hundred points then they would be able to escape?" Micho asked.

"No dummy, the killer only gets released if they manage to fool everyone else and successfully escape being found guilty," Monokuma replied. "The points are just a safety net in case the killer didn't make it. If they got a hundred then they would at least be able to save their loved ones."

"*Gasp*," we gasped all at once when we heard the shocking revelation.

"Yes, that's it. That is the safety net of Monokuma's failed mutual killing game," said Hajime. "We all wanted to get out so desperately, not just after what we endured during our week of hell in classroom 5-C but also so we could save our loved ones. We found out a little later that Ultimate Despair had kidnapped all the ones we held dear. They were confined away somewhere under lock and key, and our prize for killing and escaping was to be reunited with them. But if for some reason the killer couldn't escape being found guilty the secondary prize for earning enough points was to have their loved ones be released so they alone could escape this nightmare."

"You even dragged their friends and family into this mess? Does your depravity know no bounds?" Micho asked in horror.

"How do you think I feel about all this?" Monokuma countered. "I had their loved ones kidnapped specifically to get the players to whack each other off. And instead they go and whack themselves off! It's so damn frustrating! All my hard work reduced to shreds because of that stupid little Makoto Naegi!" the robotic bear shouted.

"Makoto…?" Mukuro muttered his name in a concerned tone while she gripped his hoodie tightly.

"Wait, what about Naegi?" Yasuke asked.

Hajime smiled. "He was our leader even if he didn't admit it at first. He got us through the darkest times by just being there to help us calm down and wish to live to see another day. We wouldn't have survived half as long if it wasn't for Makoto. His parents and his little sister were kidnapped, as were my family, and all the others' loved ones too. I know now that deep down he felt more despair than any of us but when we all looked to him for guidance he would put on a brave face and say that everything was going to be alright. That we were going to find a way out of this prison modeled after a school and save our loved ones ourselves. He even managed to calm down Sayaka who at that point was off worse than the rest of us. She confided in him that she was thinking about committing murder so she could see her idol friends again but with some encouraging words from him she got a little better."

"Even if it was just for a little while until she killed herself. After what happened in classroom 5-C we were in uncharted waters. With Monokuma's harsh realty threating to crush us Makoto managed to stop us from thinking of murder, but it couldn't fix our already broken beyond repair souls. He just gave us a little time before one by one we all sought to escape this hell with no other alternative. If it weren't for Makoto we would have reached the end that Ultimate Despair would've wanted us to. Suspect each other, remain vigilant of being betrayed, and slowly go mad as you wonder if tonight is going to be your last night before you are brutally murdered by one of your closest friends. That is the true horror of the mutual killing game. And that's why we chose the alternative path when we found no other escape possible."

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MAKOTO NAEGI

Monokuma chuckled. "Enough beating around the bush Hajime-kun? Why don't you tell them about the day you found that cursed knife? And the day that I revealed I had my fingers crossed?"

Hajime looked away. "I…I don't want to worry them. They have enough to worry about already without this load on their shoulders."

"What is it, Haji-chan?" Shiro asked out of concern.

Hajime sighed. "It was about four years into our stay here that Fuyuhiko decided to take his life. Up until that point he had been adamant in the fact that Ultimate Despair was full of crap and that there was no way his family could have been taking down so easily. He made a vow after Peko and the others died that he would not let any more of us die on his watch. A promise from a Yakuza is something that shouldn't be taken lightly, he boldly claimed." Hajime's frown deepened. "But then one day he suddenly vanished and we all searched desperately for him until finally Chiaki found him dead in the AV room with his stomach cut open, that knife lying on the floor at his feet, and his video confession set ready to play for us one of the screens. It was hard to believe at first. Fuyuhiko was one of our rocks along with Makoto and yet he suffered from such consuming despair that none of us could see his death coming. But what was even more peculiar was the knife that he used to kill himself with. Up until that point in time not one of us had ever seen that knife before. It didn't come from the kitchen like Sayaka's knife did and it most certainly did not come from Fuyuhiko or anyone else. It just appeared one day out of the blue."

AMMUNITION UPDATED: FUYUHIKO KUZURYUU

"At first they thought I had given it to Fuyuhiko but after what felt like forever I finally got them to believe that I was innocent," Monokuma explained. "However after Fuyuhiko had committed suicide that's when I had officially had enough. By that time half of the students had exited the game through boring, old, nasty suicide. Honorable death my furry little ass! It was a total fucking snooze fest! A four yearlong snooze fest!" Monokuma's red eye began to glow. "So I changed the rules a bit. Any student who commits suicide is automatically disqualified from the game, stripping away all their points, and any chance to obtain a prize as well."

"By prize, you mean their loved ones?" Sawa asked.

"Correctamundo! But that's not all, I made this rule apply to past students as well so any student who committed suicide in the entire length of the game was instantly disqualified!" Monokuma exclaimed with a chuckle.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Then that means…?!"

Monokuma giggled. "That's right. They lost all their points and their constellation prizes. To this day, the loved ones of those fallen students are all dead ~," he said in a whimsical tone.

"…" Shock filled the courtroom once again and we all donned our terrified expressions yet again. It was amazing how after all this shit I had endured so far I could still be so appalled.

"That was not part of the plan!" Mukuro suddenly shouted. "Junko Onee-chan said that they were just meant to be used as leverage to ensure that the students played the game! You had no right to kill them! They should all still be held captive in Towa City!"

"Uh, Towa City's been gone for a long time girlie," Monokuma replied.

Now Mukuro seemed shocked as well. "Wh-What?"

"Oh that's right we kept you in a dark little room for the past seven years so there's no way you would know about that. But yeah, apparently some of the members of Ultimate Despair got a little antsy and wanted to cause their own despair-inducing incident. But we should've expected as much, leaving a couple of dumb brats like that in charge of things while we were away was just asking for trouble. Apparently a civil war ensued between all the kids and the adults that was spearheaded by the same brats in question and they all ended up killing each other. Adults and kids and dead as doornails. To this day their bodies still line the streets of that now deserted island. So you can bet that all the chaos consumed our hostages too. Good thing the students who committed suicide before that died in blissful ignorance thinking that their loved ones were safe and sound thanks to their sacrifice. But as for Hajime-kun here and the others survivors…"

"You told them?" Micho ended Monokuma's statement.

"Yep, yep, yep, yep," Monokuma replied in a cheerful tone.

Hajime's frown deepened even further. "It was a very sad day. It was as if the appearance of that knife had somehow brought about otherworldly chaos in this already otherworldly hell. It was about a month after that before things slowly became bearable again but even then the others were completely lost. It was as if the life had been sucked out of them in one fell swoop. Makoto included. His parents, his little sister Komaru. And all the others' loved ones. Gone. Just gone. And even after that the sight of that knife brought everyone misery. It was like a curse. It's probably silly in your eyes but upon listening to what Makoto and the other members of the 78th class told me and the members of my class about it, that knife itself was used solely to kill." Hajime looked up to Mukuro again. "You have the gall to say that you loved him even after all the shit that you and your psychotic friends made him, me, and all our friends endure? You're lower than trash. You're not fit to walk the earth you filthy, heartless monster. A name like the Blood-soaked Cub suits you well, Mukuro Ikusaba."

He snidely laughed. "I lied before when I said that I didn't blame you. I hate you. I hate you so much just looking at you makes me want to kill you. Even now I'm trying to hold back the rage that's built up over these years of torture."

"I'm sorry…" Mukuro started to cry. "I'm so sorry…it wasn't supposed to be like this at all. It was supposed to…"

"It was supposed to what?!" Hajime shouted at Mukuro. "It was supposed to what?! Answer me! Give me a good reason why you assholes did this to us! And don't say it was for the sake of despair or any of that crap because I don't want to hear it anymore! Fuck despair! Fuck hope! I don't care anymore! I don't care what happens to the world! I don't care what you assholes do with it! I don't care!" Hajime held his head in agony as tears began to stream down his face as well. "I just don't care anymore. I don't care. I'm done. I'm done with all this craziness. I hate you. It should have been you bastards to pay the price. Not my friends. Not her. It should have been you." Then he held up his head and glared at us through his tears. "I hate you all. I hate all of you Ultimate Despair. Even the ones who don't know the monsters that they truly are."

"…" we all looked at Hajime in confusion.

He chuckled slightly. "You seriously haven't thought about it? They took away seven years' worth of your memories, do you seriously think they didn't do anything else to you while they were fucking with your brains? You could be one of them for all you or I know. Mukuro's one of the ring leaders, who's to say there's no other members hiding here?"

"…" we all paused and began to look around at one another.

"And that's why I hate you all. Because I don't even know if you're monsters. But judging from the way things look now, how even though I want this all too just end you guys keep denying and doubting the claims of someone who remembers the torture they went through. To me you're all monsters. Monsters who won't even grant my final wish. I lied, I don't care anymore. I don't care what you do, I don't care if you want to fight Ultimate Despair and get yourselves killed. I don't care if you want to go through your own mutual killing game. I just don't care. Chiaki did her best to mislead you so you would lose and I would live and finally leave this nightmare. But for me, there's no reason to live without her or my friends. They were all I had. They were all I ever really had. I'm a nobody, I was one before I came here and I'm a nobody now. My parents could've cared less if I just went up and vanished. No siblings, no real friends. Just me. That's all it ever was until I met them. They're gone and I'm not. For me that's like my own private hell. I don't want to live. I don't want to live being a nobody. I want to die here where my friends died…where my only love died."

Hajime gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. "So just kill me already! I'm done putting on a brave face for you halfwits! You wanted to see the real me! Well this is it! I am Hajime Hinata and I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! **I WANT TO DIE!** "

Was I really wrong? Was I wrong the whole time? Was this really Hajime Hinata? If it wasn't then why did my heart ache for this person? Why did I want to save them? Why did I want to end their suffering so much that it hurt? 'Could I really be overthinking it? Maybe I was just lying to myself, thinking that there was such an ideal version of a human being. Hajime may have been the person I looked up to but it's possible I just overestimated him. Going through this hell for six years would be enough to break anybody. His story seems convincing, and I don't have any real proof of anything. Just assumptions based on things I know little to nothing about already. I mean, I even called him out as imposter because of the way his hair was done up. Maybe I was just seeing things that weren't really there. What should I do? I don't even know anymore.'

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

* * *

 _Grant Hajime's wish_

 _Continue to deny him_

* * *

A/N: Is this really the end? Is Hajime Hinata really the killer? Only I Monokuma, and a few select others know the truth. Tune in next time when the killer is finally executed.


	19. Chapter 1, Part 3

A/N: Welcome loyal viewers to the finale you have all have been waiting for. The unmasking of Hajime Hinata's killer is finally at hand. Is the killer the Ultimate Imposter? Or is the other Hajime really telling the truth about it all being one giant plan set up by him and the real Ultimate Imposter? Or even more suspicious, is the killer someone else entirely? Stay tuned for answers to these questions and more. But first here's the current placement in the free-time event poll. Remember to keep voting up until the first free-time event. Limit 2 votes per person.

Beigoma Kiyoshi – 4 votes

Azami Jagaimo – 4 votes

Jose Historia – 4 votes

Nodaka Hoshi – 3 votes

Sawa Nanase – 2 votes

Keiko Akasaka – 2 votes

Aya Kisaragi – 2 votes

Izuru Kamukura – 1 vote

Soshun Murasame – 1 vote

Jonathan Junmaru – 1 vote

Nate Baron – 1 vote

Yasuke Matsuda – 1 vote

Mukuro Ikusaba – 0 votes

Nagito Komaeda – 0 votes

Micho Auruka – 0 votes

Connie Takemi – 0 votes

Shiro Shirobane – 0 votes

Cam Yano – 0 votes

Chihiro Fujisaki – 0 votes

Now without further ado let us begin the mystery chaos that is Danganronpa!

 **Warning:** This chapter contains major character bashing as well as overall despair-induced insanity. Also contains a small girl on girl kiss and some other kind of perverse and risqué details. Read at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 3: No regrets, Part 2**

* * *

Hajime gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. "So just kill me already! I'm done putting on a brave face for you halfwits! You wanted to see the real me! Well this is it! I am Hajime Hinata and I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! **I WANT TO DIE!** "

Was I really wrong? Was I wrong the whole time? Was this really Hajime Hinata? If it wasn't then why did my heart ache for this person? Why did I want to save them? Why did I want to end their suffering so much that it hurt? 'Could I really be overthinking it? Maybe I was just lying to myself, thinking that there was such an ideal version of a human being. Hajime may have been the person I looked up to but it's possible I just overestimated him. Going through this hell for six years would be enough to break anybody. His story seems convincing, and I don't have any real proof of anything. Just assumptions based on things I know little to nothing about already. I mean, I even called him out as imposter because of the way his hair was done up. Maybe I was just seeing things that weren't really there. What should I do? I don't even know anymore.'

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

* * *

 _Grant Hajime's wish_

 _Continue to deny him_

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose second option** ) 'But what am I supposed to do?' I ask myself. 'I felt like before I was on to something but now…I just don't know. It could be nothing and then we'll just be back at square one again. Why am I still feeling on edge?' I snuck a glance at Izuru when he wasn't looking. 'Is it because of Izuru? And the fact that I still can't figure out what his endgame is?' I looked away from him just as his eyes met mine. 'No, it's something more than that. Izuru, Hajime, this whole game. It's all connected somehow. I just can't see the connection.' I held my head in frustration and then I sighed. 'Ugh, maybe I am really overthinking things. Maybe I just don't want to admit that it has to be this way for the rest of us to live.' I looked up at Hajime, who was still crying softly.

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

* * *

 _Grant Hajime's wish_

* * *

(Right Decision: **Choose only option** ) "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything you've been through. You're right, I can't even begin to imagine what you and the others went through. We were apparently kidnapped for seven years but we don't have to remember, you do. That in itself is not fair. I wish I could somehow go back before all this happened and save you all from this game, but that's not possible. While we were all gone, the world went to shit and we didn't even know it. In a way that act is inexcusable. Maybe I was wrong to keep questioning you like that. Now that I think about it the way you describe it makes sense. Nanami-san and you planted evidence and misled us in order to guess things, and then Monokuma furthered that when he tried to falsify even more evidence using the paint in the art room. And everything else might just be in our heads." I sighed again. "I don't want to do it. You guys might've been right before," I said to the others. "Maybe I just didn't want to go through with executing him." Then I looked back up at Hajime. "If you really want to die then I guess we can help you, everyone wins in this situation right?"

"Y-You mean it?" Hajime asked. "You'll end my suffering?"

"If that's what you want, then sure I will," I replied.

"A-Are you really okay with this Akira?" Nodaka asked.

"Yeah dude, I mean we were keeping things going specifically because you said you felt antsy about something. I thought we all agreed that this guy was a fake?" Nate asked.

"Really Aki, what the about the ahoge?" Jonathan asked. "After all the trouble I went through using my procrastination skills, now you're just dismissing me?"

"It's just a strand of hair," I replied. "It's hardly ground-breaking evidence. And everything else could just be a coincidence. I felt like I had something before but now that I think about it might just be a coincidence too. Now I don't think there's any more to this. I guess I really was just grasping at straws in an attempt to prove the innocence of a person who doesn't even exist anymore." I looked up at the others. "We already decided that we are going to fight against Ultimate Despair and play their game our way. And we can't do that unless we sacrifice the killer of this case. And here he is, begging for us to not waste another minute in voting to execute him. If he wants to die then let him, to advance we need it to conclude this way anyway."

"Kira Onii-chan?" Beigoma muttered in a concerned tone.

"If he doesn't care anymore, then why should I care?" I asked rhetorically. "Let's just vote and get it over with already. Unless anybody else has anything to add." I waited for a couple of seconds for anyone else to respond but nobody did. "Well then I guess it's all ov…"

" **OBJECTION!** " Micho shouted all of a sudden, shattering my conclusion.

* * *

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN: AKIRA V. MICHO

EDGE SHARPEN POINTS: 2

* * *

 **Warning:** Hello once again young sleuths. It appears it's time once again for another rebuttal showdown. And this time you have the Ultimate Defense Attorney herself, Micho Auruka, to deal with. A truly terrifying opponent in the court room. Now normally you would expect her to be a roadblock for you, right? However, in this specific circumstance it appears that dueling it out with her will prove beneficial in your search for the truth. Micho seems to believe that there is something else that hasn't been touched on enough yet. Who know, if you talk enough with her you might be able to reach another breakthrough. Which brings us to the new feature in the rebuttal showdown called Edge Sharpen Breakthrough. This time instead of cutting through your opponent's contradictions with your swords you're going to be looking for a way to the strengthen the sharpness of your swords' edge, much like targeting an agreement point with one of your classmates' statements in a Non-stop Debate. But this might prove problematic as there could be a lot more useless words that you have to slash through. Hopefully this will give you the edge you need to keep searching for the truth.

"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"You didn't hear me? Fine, then I'll say it once more. I object!" Micho exclaimed.

"A-Auruka-san? What are you trying to…?"

"Not again, I will not let you give up yet again. You're on to something here, you can't just turn away from the truth because it's not to your liking," Micho said forcefully.

"T-That's not it, it's just I can't see any other option we have. Everything proving that Hinata-kun is a fake is circumstantial, right? Auruka-san, you're the Ultimate Defense Attorney. Wouldn't you say that we don't have anything solid as well?" I asked.

"Normally you would be right. I don't like to draw any conclusions without solid evidence to prove the facts. Just jumping to conclusions is sloppy beyond belief. If this were a real court, any first-rate defense attorney would have such bogus claims thrown out immediately. The one about the ahoge might even be laughed out of the court room," she explained.

"Way to lay it on thick," I replied with an awkward smile.

"You're not listening. I said if this _were_ a real court. Real courts of law don't end with the falsely accused being executed on sight, along with the jury who falsely convicted them. At most you would get judicial misconduct, and in the worst case the prosecuting attorney would be disbarred. Ugh, I'm getting off-track again, aren't I? Why do I always ramble when I'm under pressure? Such a bad habit. I need to break it if I ever want to be taken seriously by the judicial system. And I'm rambling again! Ugh, where was I?!" Then after a moment it came back to her. "Oh yeah, Maita-kun just because things are confusing now you can't let it deter your search for the truth. You're on to something, I bet my future law career on it whole-heartedly. This case isn't over yet."

"B-But Hinata-kun's claims seem…" I tried to get a word out but she cut me off again.

"I don't care! He's had his chance to tell his side of the story, its cross-examination time! And I need your help! We'll grill him together! You and me, tag-team, come on let's go!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Y-You really believe me?" I asked.

"I want to believe you. You're my friend after all. But this is still a court of law, albeit a twisted and ludicrous court of law. So you and I have to figure out a way we can double our efforts and break through this imposter's claims. We can't be swayed by sob stories. Crocodile tears are one of the top reasons why hardened criminals get off on light sentences. We have to push through his words and find out what he's hiding. You can sense it too right? It's far from over!"

I sighed. "Well, I felt like I had something before. But it's probably nothing."

"Then let's make it something," she replied with a determined expression.

"Eh?" I replied.

"One of the major parts of being a defense attorney is being able to look at a piece of evidence multiple ways until you find a point of view that can help your case. With the two of us working together I'm sure we can do it. Let's go back and forth until we find an argument we can use. You're my ADA, and together we will find the truth!"

I smiled at her. "Alright, I'm game! Let's do this!"

* * *

DRAW!

* * *

"Okay then let's start with a simple explanation of what we know so far can't be anything but the truth," said Micho. "Junko Enoshima along with her group of Ultimate Despairs **kidnapped us seven years ago** , causing mass panic and forcing Hope's Peak Academy to shut down. And then a year later, several more students were taken to the abandoned academy, which had been remodeled into a sort of impenetrable fortress by Ultimate Despair, and were forced to participate in the game known as the **Killing School Life**."

"The first round of the game involved sacrificing eight of the students in order to maintain the survival of the others. We have learned from the evidence we obtained as well as the testimony given to us that these eight individuals were as follows. Peko Pekoyama, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Mondo Owada, Gundham Tanaka, Hifumi Yamada, Leon Kuwata, Sonia Nevermind, and Akane Owari. And there's strong evidence that **their deaths like the other students' deaths are all connected in some way to this murder**."

"Although besides the students who died in classroom 5-C and the students you learned about during your investigation into the Death Scavenger Hunt, **the circumstances surrounding the other students' deaths are still questionable.** "

(1st Ammunition needed: **The killer's** **red herrings** , 1st statement to agree with: **"their deaths like the other students' deaths are all connected in some way to his murder"** )

* * *

ADVANCE!

* * *

"Yes that's right, several belongings of the deceased were found during our investigation. Kirigiri-san's gloves, Koizumi-san's digital camera, Tanaka-kun's earring and pet hamster, Asahina-san's swimsuit, Ludenberg…I mean Yasuhiro-san's handkerchief and ring, and Yasuhiro-kun's crystal ball…well not so much crystal as it was glass. Oh, and also Ikusaba-san's knife which was connected to her sister Enoshima-san," I explained. "At one point or another we thought that all these items were somehow connected to Hinata-kun's murder…well apparent murder at this stage in the game. But upon further analysis we decided that these items were intentionally placed as red herrings by the killer as well as Monokuma, who dabbed a few of the objects in question with paint from the art room under the guise of blood."

"That's true, but doesn't one of those objects stick out from the bunch?" Micho asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, one of those objects in question could never be explained as to the exact circumstances of its involvement in the case, right?" Then she sighed. "Even I know that sounds confusing. Okay, think of it this way. Each of the objects pointing to the deceased that were found were tampered with in one way or another…all except for one, a person whose involvement in this case hasn't been answered yet."

"Huh?" I replied in confusion.

Micho smiled at me. "We're onto something. I just know it. Just a little more and we might find our answer.

'Does Micho really think there's something more to the red herrings? But what could it be?' I asked myself.

"Come on Maita-kun, I know you know it! You brought up this person specifically to help Nanase-chan ease our doubts about Asahina-chan. This proved beyond doubt that **our original range of thinking involving the red herrings was very limited.** "

"They were one of the students who we know all the circumstances surrounding their death. According to Hinata-kun this person laughed in the face of death. This person might be the very key we're looking for. **Them and their pets**."

(2nd Ammunition needed: **Gundham Tanaka** , 2nd statement to agree with: **"them and their pets"** )

"You're a sharp one indeed!" I exclaimed.

* * *

CUT!

* * *

"Gundham Tanaka, of course. We never did find out why his earring was in classroom 5-C. We assumed it was a red herring but the purpose behind it was never truly revealed," I explained.

"Purpose?" Shiro repeated in confusion.

"All the other red herrings had a purpose behind being planted by the killer and Monokuma. To deceive us and make us think that the owner of the object in question was really the killer. Monokuma chose specific objects from Yasuhiro-chan, Yasuhiro-kun, and Asahina-chan, and then covered them in paint from the art room to make us think that they were really covered in blood," Micho explained. "The ring and the "crystal" ball were made to make us question what the murder weapon was, and the bloody swimsuit was made to look like the killer had worn it during the murder. But these were easily proven false by the evidence we obtained. They had nothing to do with the murder whatsoever."

Micho continued. "But the same can't be said all the other red herrings. They were definitely used during the murder as a means to conceal evidence. I'm talking of course about the gloves, the handkerchief, the camera, and the knife. However, Tanaka-kun's earring was also found at the scene of the crime but with no clear connection to the murder whatsoever."

"Well maybe it was another one of Monokuma's bluffs," Nate guessed.

"Unlikely, I remember what Soshun remembers, and what Soshun remembers is that earring didn't have a trace of blood on it, much less paint made to look like blood. It was clean and harmlessly lying on the floor. Like someone dropped it," Deva explained.

"After Maita-kun pointed it out to Murasame-kun, Hoshi-ch…san and I, we just ignored it and went back to our investigation," Micho continued as she received a warning glance from Nodaka. I'll never understand why she hated the "-chan" honorific so much. "But I'm starting to think that if we really want to call it a red herring then we need to find out the reason it was in the classroom."

"There's also something weird about the whole experience Aki-chan and I had with Jum-p, Gun-chan's hamster that we found in the box," Shiro added. "If the knife was originally inside the box then someone had to replace it with the hamster, right?"

"What's all this obsession over Gundham all of a sudden?" Hajime asked. "You're just wasting time, I planted his stupid Hell Hou…no, you know what I'm not saying it, the Chuunibyou idiot's dead, it's just a dumb piece of costume jewelry. Chiaki wanted to make as many people as possible look suspicious so I planted his earring and one of his hamsters. I even had to go out of my way to go rummaging through his corpse until I found one of them. The weirdo always kept them on his person for some reason."

"That's a nice way to talk about one of your friends," said Nodaka.

"Who the hell are you to talk?" Hajime replied.

"…" Nodaka looked away and remained silent.

"So yeah, I figured Gundham would merit suspicion considering those two clues pointing to him and the fact that he was already a questionable person to begin with. Seriously I had to listen to " _Fear the Supreme Overlord of Ice_ " and " _Kneel before the might of the Tanaka Empire_ " so much that every time I talked to him I got a freaking headache. He was an idiot, a crazy idiot. Who the hell dies while laughing like they're doing some freaking noble deed? Death is pain, life is pain. Everything is pain, but nothing seemed to faze that idiot at all! It was the same thing with every one of those idiots. They all had some annoying quality that made me want to bite their heads off. So I admit it, I set a lot of them up. It was out of spite, pure spite. Gundham annoyed me, same thing with Cele…no she was a Chuunibyou idiot too…same thing with Taeko, and that bitch Kyoko. The two of them acting so damn cool all the time, like they were above all of us, it pissed me off. Kyoko especially, that nosey, cold, manipulative bitch. She always, always, always, had to be the star of these stupid class trials. We get it you're the damn Ultimate Detective, we're idiots compared to you. She had Makoto wrapped around her little finger too. To this day I don't get what he saw in that bitch."

"You said different things about them before," Beigoma said in a worried tone.

"I also said I gave a shit if you idiots lived or died," Hajime replied coldly. "You're here for one reason and one reason only, and that's to end my worthless life. I thought playing the nice guy would earn me a little sympathy but that ship has since passed. You wanted the real Hajime, well now you got him."

"So was it just those people or did the others annoy you as well?" Jose asked.

"You mean your precious Togami-san you little shit?" Hajime asked. "Yeah, he pissed me off unbelievably too. But that was the same with everybody, he got on all of our nerves with how high and mighty he pretended to be. Byakuya Togami," Hajime spat out the name of one of his fallen "friends". "I swear, you would think with a title like Ultimate Affluent Progeny he would be all quiet and reserved like royalty or something, but he wasn't. He was a smarmy, narcissistic brat in a suit who wouldn't hesitate to bite your head off with verbal abuse. Sometimes I secretly hoped something bad would happen to him, but unfortunately it took a few years for the mental stress to get his Royal Highness." His mask was starting to slip and the real person hiding behind said mask was slowly making his appearance.

"You shouldn't joke about things like that, even if Togami-san was a jerk," Sawa replied.

"Who says I was joking, trust me if you were forced to spend six years in solitude with that asshole you would say the same thing," Hajime replied.

"How about Makoto then?" Mukuro suddenly asked.

Hajime smiled at Mukuro. "He was a good guy, and a great leader. But yeah, sometimes he annoyed me too. It annoyed me how someone who was normal like me somehow managed to be such an inspiring source of hope. It pissed me off that he was better than I was."

"That's not what I mean," Mukuro replied. She glared at him. "Did you try and frame Makoto too?"

"…" the rest of us fell silent while we watched as Mukuro's glare deepened at Hajime.

Then after a few moments Hajime let out a snicker. "I was wondering why nobody had mentioned it yet. I knew for sure that I had set things up just like Chiaki told me to do. But not one person mentioned the sneakers and hoodie of a certain Ultimate Lucky Student being hidden in his room, covered in blood from head to toe. Never once did it come up in your endless questions for me. But I guess that answers my question. Someone's been a naughty, naughty girl," he said as he wagged a finger at Mukuro. "Removing and destroying evidence from a crime scene is a crime itself you know. Shame on you."

"…" Mukuro remained silent.

"So let me guess, you took the hoodie and the sneakers and you tried to wash them when no one was looking. Good job on the hoodie, you can't see the slightest speck of blood on it. And wearing it was a nice touch too, probably to throw the others off your trail and make them think you took his hoodie from the museum to smell it like the creepy stalker that you are. Looks like you forgot about the sneakers though." Hajime turned to the rest of us. "In fact looks like you all forgot about them, that and the pickaxe which Mukuro-chan put in my red herrings' place." Hajime pointed to the red, white-toed sneakers that were sitting at the edge of my stand.

My eyes widened. 'That's right, I completely forgot. The hoodie and the sneakers. Izuru said that they were important before but he never elaborated.' I stared at Izuru in disbelief.

He stared back at me with a look that just said 'I told you so'.

'We got so caught up in the debate that we never found out what was so important about them. But if they really were important Izuru would've been sure to tell us just what was so important about them. What's the deal? Something's definitely wrong here. But what is it exactly?' I asked myself.

"Am I hearing this right?" Micho asked. "Ikusaba-chan, you destroyed evidence? That's not true, right?"

"It's true," Mukuro replied.

"…" Micho fell silent.

"You don't understand," Mukuro replied.

"Then make us understand! Why am I not surprised that you lied to us yet again?!" Nodaka shouted at Mukuro.

"Seriously when our lives are on the line you go and hide stuff that could save our necks, what the hell dude?!" Nate shouted at her.

"You love-sick idiot, your childish crush was probably going to get us killed!" Jonathan shouted.

"That really was dumb, no it was positively stupid!" Sawa exclaimed. "What the hell were thinking?!"

"Ms. Mukuro Ikusaba was obviously not playing with a full deck. I chock it up to ignorance," Keiko said coldly.

"Asinine. That's what comes to my mind. As-i-nine," Yasuke annunciated. "If that didn't turn out to be a red herring, what then? Were you going to let us die just so you could let Naegi run free if he was the killer?!"

"Exactly," Mukuro replied.

"…" the others seemed too shocked to say anything else. If Mukuro was already completely hated, this sealed the deal.

"I love Makoto Naegi. I won't say "loved" because the way I feel for him will never go away, not even if he is dead. I don't expect any of you to understand, I don't even think what I did was rational. As a matter of fact, it was completely irrational. But still, isn't love irrational to begin with?" She sighed. "If you had found out that the person you love most in the world was forced to kill somebody and that they were destined to be killed themself, wouldn't you interfere? Wouldn't you do everything you could to make sure that they didn't die? If you do choose to interfere, then I think that says how much you love them." Mukuro began to cry. "But I was wrong, after I cleaned Makoto's hoodie in the laundry room I thought about how it could've gotten to the point where someone who was as kind-hearted and trustworthy as him would kill another person. And I couldn't see it. Logic said that Makoto was the killer, but my heart wouldn't let me see it that way. That's when I knew Makoto would never ever murder anyone. He had to have been set up."

Mukuro continued. "After that, I thought that I should just come clean and tell you all what I did."

"Then why didn't you?" Hajime asked in a demeaning tone.

"I…I was scared. I was scared that nobody would believe me. Everybody was already afraid of me, and if I tried to protect someone who looked like they were guilty that would just make things worse. I couldn't take the chance that Makoto could be voted the killer just because of my bad judgement in revealing who I really was to you all too early. So I tried to conceal the fact that the evidence was in Makoto's room by taking shelter in there and doing my best to keep anyone out," Mukuro explained.

'So that's why…' I recalled the events that transpired a little over an hour ago.

 **Flashback:**

 _"What? Have you been in here this whole time? Is that why nobody could find you? But what about Yasuke, he said he checked all the rooms and he didn't say anything about seeing you? How did you…?" She shut me up by launching another sharp object at me, but it wasn't a pencil, no this time it was a pair of scissors that she threw like a dagger with speed and precision. The scissors also landed and got stuck in the bulletin board._

 _"Shut up and get out," she said calmly and coolly as she pointed at the door._

 _"But Ikusaba-san, I need to investigate for the class trial and…" she cut me off by grabbing yet another school supplies weapon, a ballpoint pen, and then rushing over to me with super speed and forcing me against the wall. She stared at me eye to eye, her cold and dead eyes reflecting widened and fearful ones. She brought her hand up to my neck and then gripped it real hard while *clicking* the pen with her other hand and raising it to my neck as well._

 _"I already told you I know who it is. Get out now while I'm still giving you the chance to breathe or else you'll know how fast you can die from an air embolism. Like I said before, I've killed so many people. Do you really think it's going to make a difference if I stain my hands one more time? Leave…now. Understand?" she asked._

 _I nodded furiously as I sweat bullets in fear. Mukuro let me go and took her pen away from my neck and then she backed away and allowed me to leave the room. I ran out of there faster than humanly possible and slammed the door behind me. I panted as I leaned against the door for support, I thought my knees were going to buckle under my own weight. "What…what is wrong with her?!" I exclaimed. I took a few deep breaths and then stood upright again. "Guess I can't search that room," I said. "But at least I found out what happened to Makoto's hoodie, Mukuro must have stolen it from the museum."_

"But why did you only threaten me with your makeshift weapons, Ikusaba-san?" I asked. "I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one to wander in there, right?"

"Nobody else tried to take anything," Mukuro replied. "All Matsuda did was come in and check the bathroom, and everyone else who came in just took a quick look around and then went back outside. I just didn't want anyone to disturb his room. But I know I went too far in threatening you, again I'm really sorry."

I sweatdropped and chuckled at her. "It's cool, all you did was throw a pair of scissors at me and threaten to give me an air embolism. And then about half an hour later you gave me a hell of a sucker-punch, but other than that you didn't really do anything that bad to merit our mistrust. Why didn't you think you could tell us? It's like I said before when Monokuma was trying to get you to off yourself. We're friends, like it or not we're all in this together. The soldier version of you, the Ultimate Despair version of you, those are just versions they're not the real you. We still don't know the real you yet. But I think I speak for everyone here when I say we'd like to. We'd like to trust you, but you need to trust us too. This is a two-way street, if we don't learn to work together then we all die together. Do you think Naegi-kun would want you to die like that?"

Mukuro shed a single tear and then she cautiously wiped it away. Then she gave me a very warm and pretty smile that was unlike her. Or at least unlike the version of her I had seen so far. Maybe this was part of the real Mukuro Ikusaba? She giggled. "You sound just like that idiot. Caring so much for someone you barely know. It's like you too were designed exactly the same way." Then she blushed slightly. "And your smile feels just like his. Really warm and welcoming."

"Um, thank you?" I replied with a matching blush.

Nodaka grunted. "Oh come on, you have got to be kidding me."

"I'm sorry for all my lies, this is the first time in so long that I've actually had a say in what I want to do. I'm a soldier, I'm programmed to follow orders and carry them out without hesitation. But now, it's different. Junko On…no, Junko is gone. She's gone and it's the strangest thing. Even though she's my sister, my one and only little sister, I can't bring myself to cry over her. I wonder why? Could I have known it was going to end this way? Hmm, maybe? But I was always sure that I would die before her. That seems like the natural order of how things should go. But that's not the way they went. I'm free now. I'm finally free. Maybe now I can make up for all my sins, and I'll start here. I swear to you all from this moment on that things are going to be different now. I won't hesitate to help you all, I won't lie to you anymore. You're my…my friends after all." She giggled again. "Friends. I can't say that I've ever truly had any."

"Well I guess I could forgive you, so long as you don't do anything that stupid ever again," said Jonathan.

"It's not like it made that much of a difference, so I guess we could call it water under the bridge," said Sawa.

"I accept your apology as well. Just don't tamper with evidence in the future please," said Micho. Then one by one we all accepted Mukuro's apology.

"Wait a minute, laundry room, laundry room," Aya murmured to herself. "Huh, Ikusaba-senpai were you by any chance the mouse that I thought I heard in there when I was investigating earlier?" she asked.

"Mouse?" Mukuro repeated. "Oh right, you came into the laundry room when I was cleaning Makoto's clothes. I hid under the table and waited for you to leave before slipping out. I guess I forgot the sneakers in there in all the excitement."

"Huh, I didn't notice you or the sneakers. All I saw in there was Yasuhiro-san's crystal ball," Aya replied.

"Covert ops was my specialty after all, I know how to hide in plain sight very well," Mukuro replied.

"Okay, so the hoodie and the sneakers were both in Mako's room," said Jonathan. "Then Muku took the hoodie and sneakers so she could wash them off in the laundry room. And according to Haji, Mako's clothes were covered in blood because he made them look that way using the blood from the crime scene."

I picked up the sneakers that were on the edge of my stand and examined them carefully. There was indeed fresh blood on the toes of the sneakers as well as the soles underneath. But I also noticed that the blood on the soles of the sneakers looked grainer and clumpier compared to the blood on the toes. "Hang on, there's something else on the sneakers. Something other than blood." I carefully touched my finger to the surface of the sole and scooped up some of the mysterious substance, and then I ground it up and saw that the inside of the substance was brown. Almost like dirt. Then my eyes widened in realization. 'Wait a second.'

"What is it Maita-kun?" Micho asked.

I glared at Hajime. "He's lying again, that's all."

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

* * *

Hajime scoffed. "I'm lying again? Please, enough of this drawn-out charade already. It's not like it's going to make any sort of difference. I'm still the killer no matter how many ways you look at it."

"But this is a big lie. And I have a feeling that since you're trying so hard to cover it up it must be pretty important," I replied.

"Hold on, hold on. You two are getting ahead of the rest of us," said Micho. "Now what exactly did Hinata-kun lie about, Maita-kun? Does it have something to do with the **sneakers**? Or is this about **hoodie**? Or is it something about **Makoto Naegi** himself?"

"If it makes any difference I can tell you more about the condition they were in when I found them," said Mukuro. "There were **cuts and tears** all over the hoodie as well as several blood splotches. At the time I thought that it proved that Makoto had fought with the other Hinata before his death but now I think that might've just been work done after the fact by this Hinata to further establish it as a **red herring**. He even went so far as to bury them under all of Makoto's clothes to make them seem legitimate. A trick that fooled even me for a moment."

"I bet you liked digging through your little boy toy's clothes too, eh soldier girl. You probably even started without knowing that there was a clue hidden under there, eh?" Nodaka asked with a sly smile.

Mukuro blushed deeply while twiddling her fingers. "I…I um…well that's uh…I uh smelled the blood! Yeah, that's right I'm a bloodhound remember?! I didn't go digging through Makoto's dirty clothes because I wanted to or anything!" She then giggled intensely.

" **Incredibly transparent** ," said Jose.

"Shut up shorty!" Mukuro shouted at Jose.

Jose grunted and simply glared at Mukuro.

"Once again you guys get derailed by stupid, mindless jabber. Let me say this again. I smeared Chiaki's blood all over Makoto's hoodie and sneakers and then planted them in his room, to make you think he was hiding evidence. It was a trap get over it. There's **no more to the clothing**! Now would you just end this already?!" Hajime shouted at us.

"You're not fooling me this time. I know the truth," I replied. (Ammunition needed: **Footprints** , Contradiction to refute: " **no more to the clothing"** ) "No that's wrong!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"While it might be true that you planted the other red herrings just to frame the others I think that the hoodie and the sneakers might've had more to do with your plan than you're letting on," I explained. "For instance, the sneakers have a substance on them along with the blood that you claimed have only smeared on them. I think you were wearing them as well as the hoodie at the time you killed "Nanami-san"."

"Oh really? Well what makes you say that, smart guy?" Hajime asked.

"When I was investigating the botanical garden with Shirobane-kun, the two of us noticed a set of footprints in a soil patch which led up to a freshly disturbed mound of dirt," I explained. "Now the soil had a distinct brown color which you could recognize almost at first glance. Kind of like the brown substance that's on the bottom of Naegi-kun's sneakers."

"Okay, so you're saying that I wore Makoto's hoodie and sneakers? But those footprints you found only say that someone was wearing them in the botanical garden. There's no proof saying that I wore them when I murdered Chiaki. It actually could have been Chiaki who wore them in the first place," Hajime replied. "Therefore your claim is baseless."

"Hmm, but I do have evidence that you wore them when you were murdering "Nanami-san"," I replied. "And that proof is…" I let my other self pick out the evidence I needed. (Ammunition needed: **Possible foot stamps** ) "Here it is!"

"While I was examining "Nanami-san's" body I noticed several foot stamps on your clothes that she was wearing. Foot stamps that appear to have been left by a pair of dirty sneakers. Only two people were here at the time of the murder, and if the foot stamps were on "Nanami-san's" body I think it's safe to say she didn't do it. Unless you're going to tell me that was part of the plan as well," I explained.

"…" Hajime remained silent. He simply glared at me in a threating manner.

"No response? Then I'll continue. Next is the hoodie, my evidence for saying that you wore it as well is…" I let my other self pick out the evidence I needed again. (Ammunition needed: **Makoto's hoodie** ) "This is it!"

"Ikusaba-san, didn't you say that when you first found Naegi-kun's hoodie that along with being covered in blood stains there were also several rips and tears in the fabric?" I asked Mukuro.

"Yeah, it looked like it had been through hell and back. But I just assumed it was due to wear and tear over time," Mukuro replied.

"What if it was the same as the clothes "Nanami-san" was wearing? What if they got cut and torn during a struggle with a knife?" I asked, getting gasps out of the others.

"Unless you want to say that tearing up both sets of clothes was part of the plan too, eh "Hinata-kun"?" I asked Hajime.

"…" again he remained silent.

I continued. "I think you were lying about the set up for murder to make it look like a struggle. I think the struggle was real. And I think your whole story about this all being planned from the beginning by Nanami-san is bogus. Truth be told I don't think Nanami-san was the one you killed at all. I think the person we found dead in classroom 5-C is the real Hajime Hinata. And I think you are Chiaki Nanami the Ultimate Gamer aka the Ultimate Imposter. But then again I base all these claims on one little lie. So if you want to continue this game of denial any longer then bring it on, I've got all day."

"…" still Hajime remained silent. It looked like the imposter realized that he had been driven into a corner.

"You set up the red herrings to confuse us from the beginning. Your annoyance at each student might've been a factor, I don't know, but one thing I'm sure of is that the reason you've been asking us to stop and vote for you as the killer all this time is because you want this to be over as soon as possible. All the sob stories and the lies, just desperate attempts to keep us from looking for the truth. And that truth is that you murdered Hajime Hinata in cold blood. I don't know why you did it and I'm sure Hinata-kun didn't know either when you stabbed him repeatedly in his chest. That's why I'm asking you Nanami-san, or whoever you really are, if you really ever loved Hinata-kun then would you just admit your crimes already?!" I exclaimed.

Hajime smiled. "* _Fufufufu_ *" He began to laugh again. "You still don't get it. But I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore. Fine, I admit it. You're right, I am the Ultimate Imposter. I am Chiaki Nanami."

I smiled at the sudden development.

"I am also Makoto Naegi," Hajime continued.

Then my expression did a complete 180.

"And I am Byakuya Togami. I'm also Kyoko Kirigiri. And Toko Fukawa. I'm also Taeko Yasuhiro, and therefore Celestia Ludenberg. Same with Mahiru Koizumi, I'm her too. And Hiyoko Saionji. Kiyotaka Ishimaru is me as well. And Hifumi Yamada too. I'm Mondo Owada, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Teruteru Hanamura, Nekomaru Nidai, Sayaka Maizono, and Aoi Asahina. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, Kazuichi Soda. Sonia Nevermind, Akane Owari, Sakura Ogami, Leon Kuwata, Peko Pekoyama, Ibuki Mioda, Mikan Tsumiki, Gundham Tanaka, and Junko Enoshima the Ultimate Despair herself!" His smile had contorted into a twisted, malevolent monstrosity. "I am all of them! I have become all of them! I have outgrown all of them! Me, the one with no talent or title to begin with has outlived all the Ultimate students! I'm invincible, the winner of this bloody contest was the longshot no one expected to survive the first round! I am immortal! They all live through me! That's the only chance of life they have! And that's why I want you to snuff it out! Don't you see?! None of us deserve to live! After what we've done! We're all sinners in one way or another! We have to die! It's the only way it can continue! The despair! The beautiful despair! It must continue with the next generation! The Killing Despairadise is within your grasp! Take it from your senpai in the mutual killing game, this contest is the most fun you'll ever have in your pathetic lives!"

"…" We all noticed it at that point. As we remained silent and listened to Hajime's nonsensical ramblings we saw the despair in his eyes. Despair befitting the Ultimate Despair herself.

Hajime continued to laugh maniacally. "Oh it feels my heart with such warmth at the thought of death! I used to be so afraid! And the fear it warped my mind! Now I welcome death! I welcome its knock on the door whole-heartedly! At this point the Grim Reaper is like a guest that I've been looking forward to having over for some time! I told you before didn't I?! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I WANT TO DIE! ~" he shouted in a sing song voice. "Kill me and the others inhabit my memories! Let every trace of their existence be washed away from the earth!"

"Is this them?! The Ultimate Imposter?!" Nate exclaimed.

"More perverse then I would ever imagine," Jonathan said in fear.

"They give the Ultimate Despair a run for her money," said Sawa.

"Le killer has gone of le deep end, no?!" Connie exclaimed fearfully.

"I was wrong about Ms. Mukuro Ikusaba, this one is the person who's not playing with a full deck!" Keiko exclaimed.

At this point Beigoma literally tore herself away from her stand and then ran over to my side. Then she wrapped her arms around me and hid behind my back while she shivered like a leaf. "No…more. No…more," she murmured into my back.

"Normally I would chastise her, but at this point I'm scared too," said Nodaka.

"Are you really the Ultimate Imposter?!" Micho exclaimed in fear.

"What's the matter?! This is what you wanted isn't it?! This is the real me! I am the Ultimate Imposter! The Ultimate Ultimate student! I can be anyone! I am anyone! For the longest time I have wondered who I really am! Desperate to be someone that mattered, I changed myself like a chameleon! Disguising myself as person after person! Some identities I stole, some I created! Endless unfulfillment! Endless torture over never being anyone that truly mattered! Why?! Why doesn't anybody love me?! No matter what I do! No matter who I become! It's always the same! I hate myself! I hate myself so much that I wish I was dead! At least that was what it was like before," the Ultimate Imposter began to calm down a little.

"Chiaki Nanami, the last identity I created during my time at Hope's Peak Academy. She was one of my greatest works, everything about her seemed unique. She wasn't a copy; she was her own person. But still she left me unfulfilled. No love came my way. No acceptance. Nobody cared about poor Chiaki. They all thought she was weird, she slept all the time and when she was active all she would do was yammer endlessly about video games. Not the most attractive girl, after a while I saw that. I thought I would find love in that form. I mean what guy doesn't love huge hooters? All Chiaki did was play video games so it's no wonder she got a little chunky around the chest area, right? Still nothing. Not one single love confession. No interest from anybody. The girls all though she was weird, and the boys didn't find her nearly attractive enough. No one to love her. No reason to keep her alive. But I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't go through with changing who I was again. I wanted to die," the Ultimate Imposter cast a dour expression.

"But then, just when I was about to lose hope. He appeared. Hajime Hinata. I was a new person at Hope's Peak Academy and he had just transferred from the Reserve Department branch, so like me he didn't have any friends as of yet. It was like magic we instantly connected, and to my luck it turned out we would be in the same class. I was never close to my other classmates, but after Hajime showed up everything started to change. I connected with everybody in my class. I even got along with the girls. Mahiru, Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki, and also my best friend."

'She could only mean…' I let my other self pick out the evidence I needed. (Ammunition needed: **Five friends, one promise** ) "This is it! Sato, right? Sato Amari?" I asked.

"Sweet, gentle Sato, she was the first and only person I had ever told my secret too. I thought she would be afraid of it at first but to my surprise she welcomed me with open arms. I couldn't even tell Hajime, and at that point in time we were already going out. But with Sato, I could be myself around her," the Ultimate Imposter explained.

"I saw a photo of Amari-san in your room's closet, she was posing for a photo with a girl who looked so like her that they could have practically been twins. The twin was you, wasn't it?" I asked.

"That's right, though you probably noticed my hair was shorter. It's a habit of mine you see. I can make a near perfect copy of any person I desire and pass myself off as them. And after I reveled my secret to Sato I began to dress and act like her, she didn't mind but soon I was found but by the other girls. So Sato came up with the idea to pass me off as her little sister since she knew that I wasn't ready to tell anyone else about who I was. And I ended up living a double life as both Chiaki and Sato's sister, which was fine to a point. But try as I might, in the end it was all just pretend. You see, I might be able to pass off a disguise completely made up but when it comes to disguising myself as people I know personally I find it harder and harder to make a perfect copy of them. I end up unconsciously having some sort of flaw with my disguise. In Hajime's case it was his ahoge, as you so blatantly pointed out earlier as well as…" the Ultimate Imposter raised their right hand.

'They must mean…' I let my other self pick out the evidence I needed. (Ammunition needed: **Bloody gauze** ) "It's gotta be this! Earlier Matsuda-kun discovered several bloody gauze in the trashcan. We assumed that the killer hurt themself during the struggle with Hinata-kun. But we couldn't be sure until we saw the killer in person."

The Ultimate Imposter smiled and then rubbed the palm of their right hand, revealing a large gash which was just scabbing over. "I've used concealer and makeup so much that it's become like second nature for me to change from one identity to another. And with my ability to change ensembles quickly, I can change disguises almost instantly as blinking. But just like I said, almost unconsciously I always have a flaw to the disguises based off people I have connected with. To tell you the truth I was amazed at how well I got my Hajime disguise down. Just two little flaws which are barely noticeable, I thought for sure it would fool you all. But oh well, I guess deep down that I wanted this to happen anyway. I admit it, I want to die. I want to die so bad."

"But why? If you loved Hinata-kun then why did you kill him?" I asked.

The Ultimate Imposter chuckled. "It's because I loved him so much that I didn't want him to suffer anymore. I was content living my life here with him, but in the time in which all our friends left us he grew so distant. I think he was afraid of hurting me so he could get out of here. Afraid that he might give into the urge and do something that he would regret. But his distance from me hurt me even more than anything else he could do to me. It killed me from the inside out. It made me despair once again. I had finally found someone who would love me and yet due to our horrible circumstances they tried to push me away for my protection. But I didn't want that. I would have gladly die if I could have died with him. I tried to convince him that we should just do what Makoto and Kyoko did and take the plunge together. But he was adamant against it. I tried to tell him that there was no point in sticking around anymore now that we were the only two left but he still resisted. I saw the marks though; he had thought about but he still hesitated. We got into a big argument and my request for him just pushed him even further away. He said I wasn't acting like myself, that I wasn't the Chiaki he knew and loved. And he was right. Because by that time I had already changed inside and out."

"What do you mean?" Micho asked.

"I think my talented paranoia and chamelionism fused together with my memories and sadness of my friends. I missed them terribly, and then I just snapped. On a whim I dressed up as one of them. Sayaka was the first. That made me feel even sadder. I tried Mahiru, she was one of my best friends after all. No luck. Hiyoko. Ibuki. Mikan. Then I started trying both genders. Byakuya. Toko. Akane. Celeste. Sonia. Leon. Mondo. Fuyuhiko. Aoi. Sakura. Taka. Teruteru. Peko. Gundham. Kazuichi. Hiro. Hifumi. Kyoko. Makoto. And finally Junko. She was the person I wanted to understand most. I wanted to understand why she felt the way she did about despair. But I think that was my breaking point. The moment I started pretending that I was Junko, I started to despair like her. I reveled in it. I felt such intense pleasure coursing through my veins. It was orgasmic!" Hajime blushed deeply and started panting heavily. "I realized how addictive despair could be! It's like every drug imaginable all mixed together! So much pleasure! So much euphoria! So much lust! Plain old Chiaki couldn't compare to being the essence of despair itself! Not in a million years! Now I am all of them! I am the Ultimate Ultimate student! I am so omnipotent that I don't even have a real name! And that's why I want to die! I want to feel the last traces of my friends leave the Earth! They're all inside of me! Hajime's here too! You guys thought I was convincing as him, no?! Well I can really be him if you want!"

All of a sudden the Ultimate Imposter calmed down and returned to Hajime's normal tone of voice. The imposter Hajime smiled at us. "Come on guys, you know you want this to end already. Don't worry it will be painless…mostly. If anything it will only last a few seconds before we all kick the bucket. You don't have to feel bad about it either, we understand that you need to do this if you guys want to survive. We won't hold it against you, we want this to end as much as you do. If you don't believe me then why don't you listen to the others?"

"The others?" I repeated in fear.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: HAJIME HINATA

Suddenly the lights went out and then almost instantly they came back on. And standing in the imposter Hajime's place was none other than the famed pop idol Sayaka Maizono. The imposter Sayaka smiled at us and then she pressed a button on the voice modulator that was still hanging around her neck. And then the imposter spoke in the sweet voice of the beloved pop idol. "You don't have to worry about us at all. We're all going to be fine. Me, Makoto, Hajime, and everyone else. We're going to a better place. I'll finally get to see my friends again. We're all going to be finally be free of this nightmare."

'The voice and all the mannerisms are exactly the same. The outfit's dead on to what I saw in all the photos and in the museum. What's different?' I asked myself.

"If you must know, I'm missing my barrettes and my hair kind of curves at the end," said the imposter Sayaka.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: SAYAKA MAIZONO

My eyes widened. "How did you…?!"

"Didn't you know? I'm psychic," she said in a serious tone. Then she giggled and said, "Kidding, it was just a guess. Now I'll pass the torch to the others. Good luck everyone." She waved us goodbye and then the lights suddenly went out again. And then standing in her spot was the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata.

"Yo, what's up dudes!" he shouted. "Leon Kuwata coming at you! I hear you guys are having second thoughts about voting for us. Not cool dudes, not cool." This Leon Kuwata imposter was also a dead ringer for the original but upon close inspection I noticed two subtle differences. One, the imposter Leon's left ear was pierced instead of his right ear. And two, the top of his hair was not dyed red which showed his true hair color. I recalled that the real Leon Kuwata had his hair completely dyed, right down to his goatee. "So I've just got one thing to say to you guys. Don't be stupid!" he shouted. "We want to die! This place has been a freakin' nightmare for us! And we want to wake up already! My little cuz is waiting for me dammit! Don't let me down you morons!"

AMMUNITION UPDATED: LEON KUWATA

The lights went out again and then when they came back on the imposter who appeared this time was Mondo Owada. "What's all this I hear about you wimps wussing out on us?" I noticed that the belt buckle Mondo wore was shaped like a wolf not a lion-dog like the true one wore.

"O-Owada-san?" Chihiro stuttered out.

The imposter Mondo turned to face Chihiro and gave her a big toothy smile. "Yo Fujisaki, long time no see. Am I right? It's good to see that you haven't bitten the dust yet." He frowned. "Now that the world's gone to shit I was afraid a mousy kid like you wouldn't stand a chance." Then he smiled. "I'm glad I was wrong. No matter what happens from here on out, I want you to stay strong. Got that kid?"

Chihiro looked like she was about to cry. "O-Owada-san," she said through her tears. Then she took a deep breath to calm down and did her best to smile and nod.

"Alright, now for the rest of you numskulls." He turned back to face the rest of us and cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Dammit, if you don't go through with this I swear to God I'll break each and every one of your freakin' skulls! I swear that on my pride as a man!" Then his expression changed from hostile to bashful. "Except for the uh…chicks that is. I don't hit girls. It's a rule of mine. Now then, see yah." Just as he turned around to wave us off I saw that the back of the imposter Mondo's jacket was missing the dragon that was supposed to be on it.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MONDO OWADA

The lights went out again, and then when they came back on the person standing in the imposter Mondo's place was an imposter Kiyotaka Ishimaru. "Good morning fellow students! Your class rep has appeared from the grave to bless you with the advice needed to obtain a hardy education in these most dire times!" His energy was definitely all over the place, much like I heard about the real Kiyotaka Ishimaru. With a wide smile the imposter Kiyotaka shouted advice at us. "It is every student's duty to study and work hard in order to excel and reach the heights of academia! However, sadly I fell too short of reaching this goal!" He frowned and shook his head in despair. "Like Icarus, I flew too close to the sun and burned my wings! I could not escape the fate of this school from hell and I like so many others after me fell into the depths of despair!" Then his attitude did a complete 180 and he turned back to his positive personality. "But do I feel cheated?! Hell no, even in death I have the opportunity to learn from my mistakes and better myself accordingly! My friends are by my side as well, and my family is waiting for me on the other side! So I am truly looking forward to what may come! I'm ready to take the plunge so you should be too! Get ready soldiers, it's all on you!" He said as he pointed a demanding finger at us.

I noticed that the imposter Kiyotaka was missing one of the medals on his navy-like uniform, and the top of his hair was slightly frosted white. Frosted hair was certainly not fit for someone who was once called the Ultimate Moral Compass.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: KIYOTAKA ISHIMARU

The lights went out again and when they came back on Kiyotaka Ishimaru was replaced by Hifumi Yamada. "Dun-dun-dun! Like the mighty phoenix is reborn from the ashes so too is the great warrior Hifumi Yamada! Though great warrior might be a tad bit of an understatement considering how cowardly I behaved last time I was here," Hifumi said in a sad tone. "I couldn't do anything. I was of no help to anyone. I don't deserve to be saved. But I want to be. I want to be saved like the others." Then a glint suddenly came into his eyes. "However, I still wish to be reincarnated in the wonderful world of 2-D! I can feel my reincarnation into a flat, outlined figure is close at hand! All that's left is to entrust my fate to the ones who wish to take our place in this nightmare! Wait for me Buko my ascension is close at hand!" The imposter Hifumi's hair was flat compared to his usual Alfalfa-like ahoge, and his backpack was also the wrong color. The differences in the imposter's disguises appeared to be getting more and more pronounced. A clear sign that they were losing control.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: HIFUMI YAMADA

The lights went out again and when they came back on the imposter Hifumi was replaced by an imposter Celestia Ludenberg. The imposter Celeste sighed. "It still pains me to admit that I lost this game," she said softly in a very convincing European accent. I couldn't quite place it though considering it was fake. Maybe a mix between Italian, French, and Romanian? "To think someone as lucky as me couldn't even escape the fate of death. It's a real letdown." She sighed again. "And to make matters worse now I'm forced to share a body with these annoying troglodytes who don't even register as anything higher than Rank-D. It's a sad, sad world indeed. Who would've guessed that fate would bless me, the Ultimate Gambler with such a bad hand?" She stared at us with her mesmerizing red eyes. "I admit that I ended my own life. But I assumed that it was the only chance I had for my dream to truly be realized. I thought there would have to be castles in heaven, or if I was destined to go to hell I figured I could at least make some kind of deal so I could remain in the lap of luxury. But no such luck. Instead I'm stuck here, in this horrible prison. Forced to remain here for all eternity unless someone kills me again. Which is why I am forced to rely on incompetent troglodytes like yourselves to accomplish this task."

"Ms. Taeko Yasuhiro?" Keiko breathed out in horror.

The imposter Celeste turned to look directly at Keiko. "Oh…you?" She sighed again. "Of course you would be the one to save me. Fate loves to play tricks on me doesn't it? I'm forced to rely on such a lowly senpai, it's really quite pathetic." She cocked her head to the side and then pressed her finger to her chin as she contemplated something. "I can't say I ever felt anything but annoyance towards you. But I have to admit I did see something special about you. No matter how many times you were beaten you always came back for more. At first I thought you just liked to lose to me, but then I realized that I had become your goal. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until after you disappeared and I was trapped here."

"It's true," Keiko replied as tears swelled up in her eyes. "You were my goal. You were the one I wanted to beat no matter what. At first it was just to teach you a lesson that games of chance can't be win simply by luck, they require skill as well. But after a while my reasons changed, and I wanted to beat you to get you to finally acknowledge me."

The imposter Celeste shook her head. "Sweet, stupid Senpai. You still don't get it. You and I will never be equals in my eyes. No matter if you win or lose. We'll always be like heaven and earth." Then she got down from her stand and slowly walked over to Keiko's stand. We all stared at the imposter Gothic Lolita girl in confusion, especially Keiko who seemed the most confused out of all of us. "But I do pity you." All of a sudden the imposter Celeste grabbed ahold of Keiko's arm and yanked her body towards her. Then she cupped Keiko's face in her hands and stared at her with empty eyes. "And out of pity, I'll promote your rank. Congratulations my little Rank-F-senpai, you're now Rank-A." And then she did something very surprising. Without hesitation, the imposter Celeste kissed Keiko.

Keiko gasped in surprise to the kiss at first. But after five or so seconds, her surprise turned into bliss. And she let her guard down completely, turning over all control of her body to the imposter Celeste. And after that for a full minute the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the two girls' lips smacking together, aggressively too I might add. Judging by the sounds they made it appeared that the imposter Celeste had made good on her self-declared European origin and went for the full French kiss. A kiss which Keiko seemed to respond happily too.

I for one didn't want to disturb them but apparently some of the others weren't too keen on that as I heard whispers in all directions. "Didn't see that one coming," said Nodaka. "Damn, real deep too."

Nate seemed to get real shy all of a sudden. "Dude, I…I don't think I'll be able to look at Keiko the same way," he said with a deep blush. Then he received a swift smack on the back of the head from Sawa. "Ow, what the hell?!"

"Mind your own business," Sawa said to him sternly.

"They've been going at it for quite a while, should we stop them?" Jonathan asked in a shy tone.

"Leave them be, they've got to come up for air at some point," Yasuke replied as he looked away from the surprising sight.

"Huh, I guess that's what she meant when she said she understood me," Nagito said to himself.

The others all seemed to be doing their best not to look and give the two some privacy. There were two other exceptions to this rule of thumb though. Namely, Beigoma and Connie. Beigoma seemed to be enthralled at the sight before her. "So beautiful, just like a yuri shoujo ai manga," she whispered to herself. And Connie wore an expression that I hadn't seen her wear before. Anger. No, actually more like pure, unadulterated hatred. She glared at the two girls so intensely that for a second I thought she was planning to melt them with heat vision. But at that time, I didn't know what that Connie's anger truly entailed.

And finally they separated and stared into each other's eyes. And then out of nowhere, the imposter Celeste slapped Keiko so hard that she left a red hand print on her right cheek. The imposter Celeste glared at Keiko. "There, you got what you wanted now get over it. Move on, I'm just a ghost. Free me and get on with your life, and then live it for however long it may turn out to be." Only this time, she spoke in her real voice. No trace of her European accent. Then she walked back to her stand and smiled at all of us in a demeaning way. "Tata, parting is such sweet sorrow." This time her accent was back.

The imposter Celeste's hair was more of the dark blue variety compared to her usual raven black hair. The tornado clip-ons were dead on though; the imposter's skill of disguise was truly impressive. I also noticed that she wasn't wearing her Armament of the Blood Oath ring.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: CELESTIA LUDENBERG

As the lights went out I saw that Keiko was quietly sobbing to herself as well as rubbing the handprint that was left on her cheek. And when the lights came back on a large, hulking behemoth was standing in the imposter Celeste's place. The sight of the large, monster-like person made me do a double-take at first but I soon realized that this was the Ultimate Martial Artist, Sakura Ogami, nicknamed Ogre for apparent reasons. It was hard to imagine she was human, much less a girl based on the way she looked. But the voice that flowed out of her mouth was none the less feminine, and very wise-sounding at that. "It appears that you all are our last hope to be truly saved. Even though we have passed on from this life we are still bound here and cannot yet move on. It's as if our spirits are trapped here much like we were ourselves. And now we live on through one body, which I'll admit can be troubling at times. But none the less I am glad to be reunited with my friends again, and this time I shall lend you all my strength to do what must be done for the greater good. I beg of you, make the right decision. Don't take the coward's way out like I did."

The imposter Sakura Ogami's hair seemed straighter than the original version. And the scar that she was supposed to have on her face was nowhere to be seen.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: SAKURA OGAMI

The lights went out again and when they came back on the imposter Sakura Ogami was replaced by an imposter Aoi Asahina. She immediately got riled up and gave us all a serious motivational look, like the way a captain of a sports team would pump up their fellow players. "Yeah Sakura's right guys! You can't back down now! It's the final stretch, the finish line is within sight, all you've got to do is push through the enemy's offensive line and make the winning basket right as the buzzer sounds!" Then she giggled and sweatdropped. "Sorry, kind of went overboard with the sports metaphors, didn't I? What I'm really trying to say is that we made this decision to die as a group and we want to see it through to the end. Even though so many bad things happened and we lost all our friends and family we still won't lose hope. So what if we're all sharing one body now? Chiaki is at her limit right now and is about to fully give into despair so you guys need to man up and give us the final push to freedom we need. Yeah, we'll die but trust me, this is for the best. Taking the big plunge is always scary but trust me it's worth it." She sighed sadly. "I wonder…will I get to see Yuta again?"

"Asahina-senpai," Sawa said in a sad tone.

The imposter Aoi turned to smile at Sawa. "Well if isn't Sawa-chan. It's really good to see you again, after you disappeared the rest of the track team and I were devastated. I'm glad that you're safe though. I really wish we could've met under better circumstances. I would've loved to catch up, you've been working on your long run like I showed you, right?"

Sawa was about to cry as well, but she powered through it and managed to nod. "Yes, I didn't know I had missed so much practice until just a little while ago, but I promise I'll practice whenever I can from now on. And when we get out of here, I'll win the gold in track for you and the rest of the team. I promise, Senpai!"

The imposter Aoi smiled at Sawa. "Aww, that's sweet. But if you go for the gold make sure it's for you. Sawa-chan, you have the potential to truly become one of the greats." The imposter Aoi giggled again. "It's funny, even though I'm your senpai you were always better at track than I was. Guess they don't call you the Ultimate Triathlete for nothing, do they?"

"You're better at swimming than I am though," Sawa replied.

"In pools maybe, but in the ocean or river or wherever else you've got me licked," said Aoi.

Sawa giggled. "Chlorine really stinks."

The imposter Aoi puffed up her cheeks. "How many times have I told you not to say such blasphemy when in the presence of the Ultimate Swimming Pro, young kohai?" Then she sighed and turned back to face the rest of us. "Anyways, I'm sure the others want to talk to you guys too so I'm gonna go." Then her expression turned intense again, "Donut Valhalla, here I come!"

I noticed that the imposter Aoi Asahina was missing her hairclip and her sports jersey was missing the white trimmings that were supposed to be on it. But I was also noticing something else was happening as well. The Ultimate Imposter's disguises, though flawed in some ways, were getting a lot of reactions out of the people most involved with each of the dead students. The imposter Mondo encouraged Chihiro to stay strong, Sawa chatted with the imposter Aoi like not a day had passed since they had last seen each other, and there was of course a deep connection between Keiko and the imposter Celeste. They had to have known that none of the disguises were real but still it was almost like they were convinced that they were. 'Could the Ultimate Imposter's talent really be that powerful? Can they convince someone they are another person purely by matching that person's mannerisms?' I asked myself. If so, then just imagine what this person could be capable of if they really did fall into despair.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: AOI ASAHINA

The lights went out again and when they came back on the imposter Aoi Asahina was replaced by an imposter Yasuhiro Hagakure. The imposter Yasuhiro laughed awkwardly. "It's kind of weird dudes, even though I was the Ultimate Clairvoyant I was petrified of ghosts before all of this. But now that I am one I can't help but feel a little dull now. Being a ghost really isn't all it's cracked up to be, since I'm just a manifestation of someone else's mind I can't do any of the cool ghost tricks like walking through walls or making objects float in midair. Hell I'm not even possessing the Ultimate Imposter right now, somehow I've become a part of them." Then the imposter Yasuhiro groaned. "Ugh, all this weird psychosomatic stuff would be so much easier to understand if we got locked up with an Ultimate Psychologist or something. But since Toko…I mean Genocide Jack…no wait, I mean Genocide Jill first showed up things have been really insane in the membrane. Wait does that mean I'm not real at all?! Oh, I don't even want to think about that!" The imposter Yasuhiro folded his hands and crouched down before us. "Please, I'm begging you dudes end this before even more stuff that doesn't make sense happens!"

I noticed that the imposter Yasuhiro was layer in two shirts instead of three and he was missing the Haramaki that the original Yasuhiro always wore.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: YASUHIRO HAGAKURE

The lights went out again and then when they came back on the imposter Yasuhiro Hagakure was replaced by an imposter Toko Fukawa. She gave us all a small frown. "Th-This is ri-ridiculous," she stuttered out. "Y-You unbelievable wastes of sp-space are our only hope? Wh-Why is the hero always the p-person people least likely suspect? It's su-such an absurd cliché. I swear even if I am dead I'll still ne-never understand the ap-appeal of those trashy young ad-adult novels where the main pro-protagonist is some average high school kid. The plo-plots never make any sense whatsoever. Ev-Even if I fantasize about it I st-still can't see any rationalization be-behind it. Who in their right mi-mind would seriously want to read we-weird stories like these?" The imposter Ultimate Writing Prodigy was dead on accurate in all of her usual apparent mannerisms. The flaw was apparent immediately though. Her hair was supposed to braided into pigtails but instead this Toko Fukawa's hair was tangled into a ghastly bird's nest of endless split ends and knots. And there was even a bow lodged in her messy hair. But other than that it was a spitting image of all the rumors I had heard about the literary astute girl. Known for her heart-warming and romantic romance novels, Toko Fukawa was thought by many to be a bright and mature young lady, however the real Toko Fukawa was almost rotten to the core and talked down to anyone who came close to her because she had the insane idea that everyone had it in for her. Most likely due to a lot of childhood bullying she developed a nasty persecution complex, apparently one that rivaled Nagito's.

"Wh-What's with all those wi-wide-eyed stares? Do I have something on m-my face?" Her frown deepened. "No th-that's not it. You're all ju-just petrified by how repu-repulsive I look, are-aren't you? You're sa-saying to yourselves, sh-she's the most ugly girl I have ever seen, aren't you? You can't fool me. Well for your in-information, th-this lifestyle is a ch-choice. I ch-choose to wear plain clothes, and di-disregard makeup, and to not ba-bathe. I li-like being this way, no matter how disgusting I appear."

"Whoa, that is a good impersonation of Fukawa," said Mukuro. "All you're missing is the stalker behavior towards Togami and you'd be like her clone."

"The persecution complex definitely reminds me of someone, eh Nagito-san?" Aya called out to Nagito.

"Indeed, the Ultimate Imposter is spot on," Nagito replied. "No wonder they've eluded being found out for so long, the impersonation is so good that it puts you past the physical flaws. As has already been made clear by a few individuals' reactions to seeing imposter doubles. You know who you are, if the mystery was still unsolved you wouldn't have a chance being fooled by such meager tricks."

"You think you could do better?" Sawa asked in a domineering tone. "Let's see how you react when your special person comes up."

Nagito smiled at Sawa. "Yes, let's."

"Hey, wh-why are you ig-ignoring me!" the imposter Toko exclaimed. "I don't mind be-being thought of as ga-garbage, but still I'd like at least some at-attention," she said as she twiddled her fingers. "But no o-one can ve-verbally abuse me flat out be-besides Master. Ma-Master is the only one wh-who can treat me like a dog."

"Geez, she really is up there with dog boy on the creep-o-meter isn't she?" said Nodaka.

The imposter Toko started panting heavily as a creepy blush spread across her face. "Oh, no Master don't use the whip. No~, please I can't take it. It's too much~. No~." I didn't even want to know what the hell she was imagining. "It's coming~! It's coming~! It's comi…*achoo*!" Then all of a sudden she sneezed and things got a whole lot crazier.

Her eyes suddenly turned red and her perverted smile turned into a monstrous smile. And lastly her tongue seemed to morph into an almost other-worldly creature as it grew both in size and shape until it looked like a tentacle was drooling out of her mouth. Then when she saw our terrified faces she let loose a large cackle. "* _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!_ * You should see the looks on your faces, it's priceless! What's the matter?! You scared?! Don't be, I don't kill right away! Murder is an art, and blood is my medium, and I don't start creating my masterpieces until I'm inspired! But when the time comes…!" She flipped up her skirt and revealed that she several holsters strapped to her legs, but instead of guns she held several twisted and unique pairs of scissors. She grabbed two pairs of scissors and then waved around threateningly at us. "Dun-dun-dun! It's Blood Lust time!"

"Wow, Fukawa-chan suddenly changed," said Beigoma in a fearful tone. "Is she some kind of Magical Girl?"

"What kind of idiotic otaku are you, you crybaby?!" Nodaka shouted at Beigoma. "Does she look like she's a freakin' Magical Girl?!"

"I'm pretty sure one of them transformed by sneezing," said Beigoma as she stroked her chin in contemplation.

"Okay one, you're thinking of a completely different series, two, Magical Girls are not real, and three, that's Genocide freakin' Jack you idiots!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"G-Ge-Genocide Jack!" Aya exclaimed in terror.

"Did you guys already forget?" Jose asked. "We told you already, we found a cold case file in the library archives that explains all this. Toko Fukawa suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID for short, much like our friend Murasame-san does."

"You're damn right!" Deva shouted. And then all of a sudden his intensity turned into unimaginable fear. "But I'm nothing like Genocide Jack! He's a freakin' monster!"

"So it was true?" Micho asked in horror. "We actually had a serial killer in our school?"

"You mean serial killer(s), Pinky," Genocide Jack called out to Micho. "I wasn't the only one, I happen to know all the little monsters that attended Hope's Peak Academy. A lot more than you would think actually. I guess it is true what they say, all the best people are mad! And we're talking crazy, perverted, gets a kick out of being covered in blood mad! It's fucking a riot! * _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!_ *"

"No way, there were even more?!" Shiro exclaimed.

"Of course there were," Monokuma replied. "Serial killers are actually some of the brightest and most intelligent people out there believe it or not, they have to be in order to avoid getting caught. And Hope's Peak Academy is a school made up entirely of bright young minds, you can't not expect a few nutcases to slip through the cracks. Just look at Lady Junko, no one knew what kind of monster she truly was."

"Monsieur Monokuma makes a very good point, no?" Connie asked in a fearful tone.

"But even though I'm probably the most well-known monster most people didn't even realize that I was a freakin' girl!" the imposter Genocide Jack shouted. "Honestly, giving me a name like Genocide Jack, so idiotic! I'm a girl so its Jill not Jack, call me Genocide Jill, you hear me?!"

"I thought you were called Genocide Jack as a reference to Jack the Ripper?" Nagito asked.

"You irritate me pretty boy, that smug smile of yours and that happy go lucky attitude makes me want to mess you up real good! Be careful, or I might make you my next victim!" the imposter Genocide Jack/Jill shouted at Nagito.

"To be killed by a serial killer would certainly be interesting, but you're not the real Genocide Jack so there's no reason to be afraid of you. You're not Toko-chan or any of the others you disguised yourself as. You're just a chameleon changing from person to person without hesitation. Do you even know your real name?" Nagito asked.

"Yeah, yeah Nagito's right!" Nate shouted. "You don't scare me, you're not her! No matter what you do you'll never really be her! She's dead you hear me?! Dead and gone forever!" Nate shouted at the top of his lungs with intensity that came out of nowhere.

"Goodness, looks like I'm not wanted anymore," said the imposter Genocide Jack/Jill. "Such a shame too, so many cute little men here to tear to shreds. But I probably shouldn't give into temptation anyway, Master will be cross with me. He might not punish me if I cut someone up, and I can't have that no siree bob. Well I guess that's all me and Ms. Gloomy have to say to you guys so I'll leave you with this, make the right decision or there could be dire consequences. TTFN, ta-ta for now!" the imposter serial killer waved us off and then vanished when the lights turned off.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: TOKO FUKAWA

When the lights came back on yet another familiar face had reappeared as an imposter. Mahiru Koizumi. "It took you guys long enough to get to me, seriously you have to be the slowest bunch of kids I've ever met," the imposter Mahiru chastised us as she wagged her finger at us. She looked around the room until her eyes landed on Nagito. "Komaeda-kun, I'm especially upset with you. You should know better than to keep a girl waiting."

"I'm not playing along, you're not Mahiru-chan, you're just a pathetic impression of her," Nagito replied. "Though I will say that your whole bossy act is spot on. Mahiru-chan was always a busy body after all."

"Sheesh, I swear even though it's been seven years since you've last seen me, that's all you have to say? If Mikan-chan heard you say those kinds of things she'd be really upset, the two of you were always so close after all." She huffed and looked away from Nagito. "Fine if you don't want to talk then I won't bother." The imposter Mahiru looked around the room again and then her eyes stopped and went wide when she spotted Nodaka. "You…" she murmured.

Nodaka just glared at the imposter Mahiru. "Save it, whatever you want to say I don't want to hear it," she said softly. "If you were the real Koizumi I might want to talk with you and say that I'm sorry for all the horrible things my Mistress and I did to you, and that I don't blame you for what Amari did to her, and maybe even that I'm sorry for what Young Master Fuyuhiko did to Amari. But you're not her, not really. So there's no point. So just save your pity for someone else. I don't want to play either."

"Smart Nodaka-chan," said Nagito.

"Shut up dog boy, and call me Nodaka-chan one more time and I'll kill you," Nodaka replied.

Mahiru sighed and looked away from Nodaka. "Look I know you don't think of us as real, but just look at Toko-chan or your glowing friend over there. Do you think their other personalities are any less real? Well they are real in a way, and it's the same with us and the Ultimate Imposter."

"Wait, are you saying that the Ultimate Imposter has DID too?" I asked.

"Well what did you think this whole display was about anyway? Didn't you figure it out already based on all the little bread crumbs left around the school?" the imposter Mahiru asked.

"Bread crumbs? Do you mean the red herrings?" Yasuke asked.

The imposter Mahiru sighed again and said, "I shouldn't be the one to tell you all this. I'll save that for the others and hope that they can make some sense out of it." She smiled and then held up her camera that was hanging by her shoulder strap. "Until then, here I'll take a souvenir photo of you guys. It's the only thing I can do now so might as well make the best of it, right?" She held up her camera to her eye and then said, "Alright everyone big smile!" But none of us felt like smiling at that point. She sighed again and said, "Or not." And then the camera flashed just as the lights turned off.

I noticed that the imposter Mahiru's hair was a bit longer compared to the original version, in that it now extended past her earlobes. And her tie appeared different as well. While the original Mahiru's tie was white with red plaid stripes, the imposter Mahiru's tie was red with white plaid stripes.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MAHIRU KOIZUMI

When the lights came back on the imposter Mahiru Koizumi was replaced by an imposter Hiyoko Saionji. The imposter Hiyoko giggled in delight and showed off a gentle smile. "Well aren't you all just as ugly as the others said? Not one looker amongst the lot of you." Then her gentle smile turned into a devious one. "I bet your talents are just as ugly and unsightly as well. You all disgust me, you're the ones who should go off and die."

"Oh believe me I have every intention of doing so," Nagito replied, "But only after the world is rid of Ultimate Despair."

The imposter Hiyoko giggled mischievously. "You're as moronic as you are horrid to look at." Then she squinted her eyes at Nagito. "Wait a second, you look familiar you piece of trash."

"Well it wasn't technically you, but I remember how the real Hiyoko-chan often told me that nobody liked me and that I should just go rot in a ditch somewhere. She was so sweet, she told me things like that pretty much every day. So concerned about my well-being," Nagito replied in his usual happy-go-lucky manner.

The imposter Hiyoko shivered in disgust. "Oh Nagito, how could I forget that gross personality of yours? You look as disgusting as you did the day you disappeared. Everything about you is so atrocious that you make me want to vomit."

"Your words are sweet, but you're still not who you say you are. Even if you look kind of like Hiyoko-chan her words sting far more than yours do. You're just not cut out for a rotten girl personality, which tells me that the real girl hiding behind all those meaningless disguises is really a nice girl down to her core," Nagito replied.

"Whatever you say, Nagrossito," the imposter Hiyoko replied as she waved Nagito off. Then she looked around at the rest of us. "As for the rest of you pieces of garbage I think the others should've explained what we want you to do already so I'll skip all that boring stuff and just keep bad mouthing you from beyond the grave." Then she grunted. "Geez, I can't believe I have to entrust my life to trash like you. I'm so embarrassed with myself I could just die…again."

Nodaka growled at the imposter Hiyoko. "Little brat. Why don't you say that a little louder so I can come over there and throttle you?"

The imposter Hiyoko feigned innocence. "What's that? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, you'll have to forgive me for not having the delicacy to deal with the elderly." Then she sighed. "Why did a true beauty like me whose sex appeal didn't even get the chance to fully blossom have to die before this horrid old hag?" she asked herself. "It's just not right. Sweet, gentle Hiyoko Saionji who was loved by many fans around the country died in this hopeless place while some ugly maid cosplayer gets to live? There could not possibly be more injustice in the world."

"Ugly Maid Cosplayer?!" A vein started to appear in Nodaka's forehead. "And who the hell are you calling a horrid old hag, you little shit?!" The Ultimate Maid was about to jump out of her stand and lunge at the imposter Ultimate Traditional Dancer, but luckily Micho was there to hold her back.

Micho grunted as she tightly held onto the back Nodaka's dress. "Once is quite enough for today. Control your anger, remember?"

"I'll kill her again, if that's what it takes to get rid of that little brat!" Nodaka exclaimed, not listening to Micho at all as she clawed at the air like a cat.

"She's not even real, the Ultimate Imposter's just trying to get under your skin!" Micho shouted.

The imposter Hiyoko stuck her tongue out at Nodaka to further mock her and then let loose another round of her childish laughter. It was seriously hard to believe that little brat was actually my age when she was alive. But as I looked at her closely I saw the look in her eyes. It was a look of pure sadness. And if the Ultimate Imposter was indeed as good as they proclaimed then I think it was safe to say that the real Hiyoko Saionji was a lot less rude and crude than she let on. It was a mask, a mask that the Ultimate Imposter had seen through completely. I then noticed the differences in the Ultimate Imposter's Hiyoko disguise. There appeared to be a lot more flower petals on the imposter Hiyoko's kimono than the original Hiyoko's. And the white cat hair bows around her twin tails had appeared to have turned black.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: HIYOKO SAIONJI

The lights went out again and when they came back on the imposter Hiyoko Saionji had been replaced with an imposter Teruteru Hanamura. "Hmm, such lovely young ladies have joined us here today. I must say you girls are quite fetching indeed. Oh, if only I still had a body of my own I could prepare a mouth-watering gourmet feast for you all…as well as do other things that would leave your other mouth watering if you catch my drift," said the imposter Teruteru.

"If you were the real Teruteru-kun I would reprimand you for saying such perverted things," said Nagito.

"Um, I don't know about the other part, but I heard Hanamura-kun's food is extremely delicious," said Beigoma, being as innocent as always.

"You don't need to know what he means, actually even I'm not sure what he means exactly," said Jonathan.

"Judging by his body stance and gestures Azami-tan bets it's something really pervy hebi," said Azami.

"Don't say pervy, that makes my skin crawl," said Sawa.

"It's just a disguise, why are you guys making such a big deal about it?" Jose asked.

"A disguise, eh? You know saying that to the person in question is kind of offensive. I have feelings too you know. I'm not someone who takes pleasure in being thought of as something less than human." Then a perverted gasp and creepy blush spread across his face. "I might be open to some physical abuse though, provided you don't leave noticeable bruises." Then he growled like jungle cat while he raised an eyebrow.

Micho shivered in disgust. "Ugh, even I'm kind of creeped out now."

"Want to strike this witness' testimony from the record, Counselor?" Izuru asked smugly.

"Shut up," Micho replied to Izuru and then she turned to the imposter Teruteru. "And you shut up too. You can keep going on this pointless rant, just no more talking from Hanamura-kun. I think I speak for everyone when we've had it with this pervert."

"Yes, please two minutes of this is more than enough to make my skin crawl," Keiko said in disgust.

Chihiro nodded. "Make it stop," she said.

"It's too creepy," said Aya.

"Qui," Connie added.

"I'm not even a chick but even I feel weird," said Deva.

The imposter Teruteru sweatdropped and started twiddling his fingers. "Geez, I didn't expect to be put in front of such verbal sadists. It looks like Hiyoko-chan got you too riled up. This would be enough to make even a hardcore masochist faint," he said.

"Speaking of hardcore masochists, imposter Teruteru-kun I would like to ask if Mikan-chan could come out and play," said Nagito. "I've got a point to prove to Sawa-chan."

"M-Mikan-chan? B-But what about me, aren't you even a little happy to see me?" Teruteru asked.

Nagito sweatdropped while he scratched the side of his head. "Um, would it be disrespectful if I say not really?"

"Well you've already said it so there's no use pulling it back now," Yasuke replied.

"Oh, I guess you're right," Nagito's doubt was gone within seconds.

"Well if that's the case then…then…" a vein suddenly popped in the imposter Teruteru's forehead. "Ta hell wit ya'll bumblan', cuntry bumpkins! Ya'll can da whiteva ya'lls want, see if I care! Ya'll ain't no Cher! Not even close ya hear?!" He suddenly started yelling at us in Cajun.

"Anybody catch that?" Keiko asked.

"Cajun is basically a mix of French and English so I should be able to translate, Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts," Connie replied. "If I'm not mistaken I believe he said something along le lines of ' _to hell with you all, you bumbling, country bumpkins. You can do whatever la hell you want, see if I care. You're not fit to be my Cher, not even close,_ ' or something along those lines at least."

"What the hell does Cher mean anyway?" Nate asked.

"Isn't she a singer?" Shiro replied.

"Actually Cher in this translation means 'my sweet' or 'dear', often used in the whole term as 'Cher bebe', bebe being self-explanatory I think, no?" Connie explained.

Keiko giggled in delight. "Wow, not only cute but she's got big brains too, eh?" Then she blushed in embarrassment and started laughing awkwardly. "And I totally just said that out loud, didn't I? Oh, damn it all."

Connie went wide-eyed at that remark. "C-C-Cute? M-Me?" And then she tried to cover her eyes with her top hat.

"Oh God, I sense something brewing," said Jonathan.

"You guys have completely forgotten I'm here haven't you?" the imposter Teruteru asked, now in his normal tone of voice. Then he sighed, "Figures." I noticed that the imposter Teruteru had not once combed his hair to the side with the comb that the original Teruteru always carried around. And I also noticed that the imposter Teruteru was missing the original Teruteru's red undershirt.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: TERUTERU HANAMURA

The lights went off again and when they came back on the imposter Teruteru Hanamura was replaced by an imposter Mikan Tsumiki. She seemed very shy at first. "H-Hello ev-everyone, it's nice to m-meet you. Or I guess see y-you again in some pe-people's cases?" She twiddled her fingers while waiting for the rest of us to respond to her.

"So you're Mikan Tsumiki? Or at least the Ultimate Imposter's version of her?" I asked.

"T-That's right, though I gu-guess you could s-say in a way that I re-really am Mi-Mikan Tsumiki. I know a-all her thoughts and memories and it's the s-same with all the others. We are a-all the Ultimate Imposter and we a-are all each oth-other as well. I'm Koizumi-san, Saionji-san, and Mioda-san. And they're also me. N-Now we're never ap-apart, we'll be to-together forever and ever. I used to be very lo-lonely but now I'm he-here with all my fr-friends. We all sh-share one body so it's never quiet or lo-lonely. I may have b-been really sad when I died but n-now I couldn't be h-happier," she said with a small smile.

"So do you have DID or what?! Geez, can we just get a straight answer or what?!" Yasuke asked impatiently.

The imposter Mikan screamed in a fearful tone. "I-I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry! Please d-don't hurt me! I'll do better, I swear!" Tears started to stream down her face.

"Hey don't yell at her," Micho reprimanded Yasuke.

"Are we even sure this looney is a 'her' to begin with?!" Yasuke replied.

"I…I d-don't mean to offend," the imposter Mikan stuttered. "I'm sorry f-for being so useless. I wa-wasn't supposed to be the on-one to explain all this to y-you anyway. H-Hanamura-san just s-said that someone asked f-for me personally so I thought it w-would be rude not to show myself. Might I ask w-who called f-for me?"

"That would be me imposter Mikan-chan," said Nagito as he waved to the imposter Mikan.

The imposter Mikan's eyes went wide. "K-K-Komaeda-san?"

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Nagito said with a laugh.

The imposter Mikan forced herself to giggle. "Oh it's n-nothing I just didn't expect to see you here th-that's all. H-How have you been? A-Are you still remembering to t-take your medicine?"

"Spare me your theatricalities," Nagito replied harshly. His smile turned into a frown almost immediately. "I told the Teruteru-kun version of you already that this is just to prove a point. The real Mikan-chan is nothing more than a rotting corpse upstairs, you're just a phony who likes to cross dress and play pretend. You're a good actor, I'll give you that. But I wonder, can you imitate Mikan-chan's true self?"

"T-True self?" the imposter Mikan replied. "W-What do you mean?"

"Unlike Toko-chan, or even the Ultimate Imposter, Mikan-chan didn't suffer from DID. But that's not to say she didn't have a hidden side to her," Nagito explained. "I've known that she was wearing a mask from the very day I first met her. It's the same with that nasty little Junko-chan, Mikan-chan's true self is just hidden behind a façade of helpfulness and masochism. The root of her façade's personality lies there, the abuse, the heartache, it all welled up inside her to fuel her inner darkness. I could sense it because I was, and still am, the same way. I have a demon inside of me too, and my demon can sense other demons," Nagito explained.

"What? I…I don't k-know what y-you're talking about. Y-You're scaring me Komaeda-san," the imposter Mikan replied.

The rest of us seemed lost. "Komaeda-kun, what are talking about?" I asked.

"I have to admit something to you all," Nagito replied. "I lied when I said I didn't think Junko-chan was the evil person she truly was. Remember, how I told you that Mikan-chan, Junko-chan, and I would often talk a lot on my bad days. Well you see, I knew that Junko-chan was a monster when I first met her for the same reason that I knew Mikan-chan was a monster upon our first meeting. I'm just like them. Izuru-kun and Mukuro-chan may think that they are the only monsters in our group but they are sorely mistaken. There's more, there's definitely more. I know because like the two of them I'm also hiding behind a mask. This smile you see me wear is one of sadness and pain, it is my mask," he explained as he pointed at his smile. "You guys were right on the money when you called me a masochist, and gross, and a dog, and a creep, and every other nasty thing you've thought about me. There was so much pain in my life, so much pain, that the only way that I could find to embrace it was to put on a smile and just keep hoping for a better tomorrow. That's when my monster was born. A monster that thirsts for hope."

"What's all this metaphysical stuff all of a sudden? Are you seriously calling yourself a monster?" Jonathan asked.

"Myself and all the others, yes. My monster thirsts for hope, Izuru-kun's thirsts for excitement, Mukuro-chan's thirsts for blood, Junko-chan's thirsts for despair, and Mikan-chan's monster thirsts for the one thing that she was never given by anyone else, love." Nagito folded his arms and glared at the imposter Mikan-chan. "The real Mikan-chan was horribly abused, but she would never say by who. But judging by the growth and intensity of the monster that she kept locked away I assumed it was by everybody in her life. Bullies, strangers, teachers, maybe even her own friends and family. And all that abuse channeled into her that innate desire to be thought of as less than human. Pure masochism."

"A-And is that the same with you, Komaeda-kun?" I asked.

"That is a story for another time," Nagito replied. He pointed at the imposter Mikan-chan. "We're talking about her right now. Mikan-chan despaired over the fact that no one seemed to truly care about her or love her unconditionally. She always had to do her best to earn their love, and to not fight back when someone took advantage of her gentle nature and tried to harm her. But sadly, that need for love was unfulfilled and Mikan-chan morphed into a monstrosity. The masochistic and clumsy caregiver persona she has picked for herself is just that, a persona, nothing more, nothing less."

The imposter Mikan began to cry again. "W-Why? Why are you s-saying these aw-awful things, Komaeda-san?"

"To prove to you that you are not Mikan-chan or anyone else other than the chameleon you have dedicated your whole life to being," Nagito replied. "I want you to admit that you are not the real Mikan-chan. Psychical appearance aside, I want to see the true mindset of Mikan-chan. If you know all about her suffering and pain, then you should be able to replicate her monster quite effectively. But I know you can't because you're nowhere close to being a monster like us. You're just a pretender, an identity thief at best. You can't copy what can only be seen by another monster."

The imposter Mikan held her in frustration as her tears poured out. "Stop it! Stop saying such horrible things!"

Meanwhile, Nagito gained an expression of pure hatred on his face. "Admit it! Admit you're a fraud and that all of this is just an act to gain sympathy! You're no monster!"

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" the imposter Mikan shouted.

"A real monster wouldn't go through the lengths that you've gone through in order to cover up the fact that they killed someone! A true monster would present it flat out! After blood has been spilt the mask is no longer needed, that's when the true monster rears its ugly head! All you are is a damn copycat play monster! Admit it!" Nagito shouted in reply.

" **STOP IT!** " the imposter Mikan screamed so loud that for a second I thought the room had shaken in reply. And then she glared at Nagito with a look of pure hatred. "Why are you pushing so hard you damn idiot! You want to prove that I'm not who I say I am?! Well news flash buddy I do know! This is what you want right?! This is the Mikan-chan you wanted to fucking say hi to isn't it?! Well feast your eyes you lousy scum cause this is it! The monster under the masochism as you so call it! Mikan fucking Tsumiki!"

We all gasped, including Nagito who looked even more surprised than the rest of us. The imposter Mikan let loose a wicked giggle. Then her anger faded completely and a cheerful smile overtook her face. "Oh I'm so relieved. I don't have to keep pretending anymore. Seriously all that endless crying and sniveling really gets on my nerves. And the stuttering, the stuttering is just the worst." For a second the imposter Mikan shifted back to her normal persona. "T-This g-gets r-r-really boring af-after a while." She giggled wickedly again. "You have no idea how tiring it is to pretend to be me. I swear, sometimes I think that's the reason I might've taken the big plunge and slit my own throat with that medical scalpel. Almost six years in this stinking place playing Ms. Masochist 24/7 to hide my true self from those idiots." A blush overtook her face and she let out a girly squeal. "But I have to admit, that suffering was some delicious despair."

"Y-You're kidding? This is what she's really like dude?!" Nate exclaimed.

"She's like the splitting image of Junko," Mukuro said in horror.

The imposter Mikan giggled in a normal manner this time. "Me Junko? That's a riot. I could never hold a candle to Enoshima-san, such beauty, such intelligence, such malice, such cruelty." Her blush overtook her face again as she let out another squeal of pleasure. "Oh just thinking about her right now gets me really hot and heavy. Enoshima-san. Enoshima-san. Enoshima-san," the imposter Mikan kept repeating Junko's name in a perverted manner.

"Gross, so gross it makes my skin crawl," Nodaka said as she shivered in disgust.

"She isn't my beloved for nothing you know ~," the imposter Mikan said in a sing song voice. "She's my everything. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for my precious beloved. It just goes to show, despair and love go hand in hand. If I didn't give into my dark urges I would have never had the pleasure of meeting her and worshiping her like the goddess she is." The imposter Mikan stuck out her left arm and rubbed it up and down. "Most people thing I wear these bandages because I'm clumsy and hurt myself a lot. But that's only half true, I also cover up the places my beloved has touched me so nothing will ever dare wipe away the orgasmic feeling she gave when she pressed her elegant fingers against my pale and inferior skin." She was actually starting to drool a little.

Then the imposter Mikan stopped thinking about Junko for a second and returned to the conversation. "Sorry about that, when I start fantasizing about my beloved I just can't stop. Wanna know a secret? I joined up with Ultimate Despair before all this shit hit the fan just so I could stay close to my beloved, I didn't even care about participating in the Killing School Life so long as she stuck by my side. And now look what glorious fate the powers that be have blessed me with. An eternity together with my beloved, in one body and soul. So if you've got to ask me whether I want to die like all the others, the answer is yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"

Nagito still looked shocked. "H-How? How did you know that this is what she was really like? Only monsters should be able to sense other monsters. You couldn't have known that this was her true personality otherwise."

Mikan giggled wickedly again as a malevolent smile contorted her face. "Well it looks to me like you've got two choices. Either, the Ultimate Imposter is a more of a monster than you give them credit for or I am the real Mikan Tsumiki simply trapped in a prison of flesh and bone. Well this was fun but it looks like it's time for me to go now."

"This doesn't make any sense," Nagito said to himself. "Only two people should know about Mikan's true self, and I'm one of them. How did the Ultimate Imposter find out?"

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: NAGITO'S TESTIMONY

AMMUNITION UPDATED: MIKAN TSUMIKI

Then the screen suddenly cut to black.

* * *

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS

* * *

Monokuma pops up on the screen. " _Hello there boys and girls. It's time for another save point. So go ahead and mark your current stopping point on whatever device you're currently using to play the game._ " Monokuma waits in silence for a moment. " _You all saved up now? Good, now I'm here to tell you that our fun in the trial grounds is nearing its end._ " Candid despair-filled * _Awws_ * can be heard from the audience.

" _Now, now, don't be filled with despair over something as small as that. I, your lovable host of the mutual killing games is going to make sure that a murder amongst these chummy little know-it-all students happens post-haste._ " Candid hopeful * _Yays_ * and applause can be heard from the audience.

Monokuma chuckles. "* _Upupupu_ * _,_ _thank you, thank you. I can't wait to show you the first motive I've got in store, it's a real doozy and is sure to be filled with a couple of laughs for you sadistic animals out there who just love seeing kids whack each other. But first we've still got to execute someone for killing Hajime Hinata, and it's a real shocker too. That's why I've scheduled this little impromptu break to separate you guys from the boredom of hearing sob stories from every single Danganronpa student in the form of some DID freak's delusions. That's why we're picking back up in the final five, the ones that really matter. I just saved you a lot of reading, you're welcome. And now it's time to return to the show. Monokuma out, bitches!_ " Monokuma disappears from sight and then the screen cuts to black again.

* * *

WE NOW RETURN TO THE PROGRAM, ALREADY IN PROGRESS.

* * *

And it went on like that for quite a while. One by one, the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of each of the fallen students of the Killing School Life. Ibuki Mioda. Peko Pekoyama. Nekomaru Nidai. Gundham Tanaka. Kazuichi Soda. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Sonia Nevermind. Akane Owari. And Kyoko Kirigiri. And they each told us the same things from their own perspectives. They were all ready to die. It was quite something to see actually. Amazingly, the Ultimate Imposter copied each student perfectly, so perfectly in fact that it was almost like they were all still alive. I started to think that maybe the Ultimate Imposter did have DID as so many of the other imposter students had told us before. But after the appearance of the true half of Mikan Tsumiki we all started to be weary of them, but the others still chose to talk to the people they knew before all of this. Nate treated the imposter Nekomaru like he was talking to an old friend. And he even promised his Coach that he wouldn't stop training until he truly became the world's greatest assassin, to which the imposter Nekomaru responded with boisterous laughter and an attitude that said he believed Nate could really pull it off. And Sawa treated the imposter Akane much like she was the real lazy senpai that she informed us about, and judging by the imposter Akane's personality that was right on the mark. I shudder to think what I might've seen if any food had been in the court room.

However, Nodaka was kind of distant when the imposter Peko and the imposter Fuyuhiko appeared. The two of them even tried to get her to talk to them but she refused to be misled like the others and followed Nagito's example to ignore the imposters. But she did promise both of them before they disappeared that she would avenge them, Hitomi, and the rest of the Kuzuryuu clan or die trying. And both of the Yakuza imposters commended her for her bravery and wished her luck in her endeavor. The imposter Peko told Nodaka to take good care of her sword before she left and the imposter Fuyuhiko told her that Hitomi was at an utter loss after she disappeared and grew even more course and cruel without her friend by her side, which filled in some gaps in what had happened in the year that she had disappeared. Lastly, they gave the rest of us some insight as to what happened during both the classroom massacre and the events surrounding Fuyuhiko's suicide. As for the others, pretty much the same things were said in the fact that they were all ready to die, even Kyoko Kirigiri who informed us that the truth lies in the red herrings. Which brings us to now.

The imposter Kyoko stared at us with questioning eyes. "I wonder," she said. "Do you guys really want to solve the mystery of this place?"

"What?" I replied. "What are you talking about?! Of course we want to solve it! If we don't then we're dead!" I exclaimed.

"While survival is the best course to take in this situation, you must not let paranoia and fear of death blind you from the truth," she said. "Technically speaking, even if you're not used to these kinds of mental tests it shouldn't have taken you this long to get to this point. It almost seems to me, like some of you are intentionally hesitating."

"Hesitating? What do you mean?" Micho asked.

The imposter Kyoko put one of her gloved hands up to her chin to show that she was contemplating something. "It's just a hunch mind you, but I think someone might be intentionally misleading you. Maybe even multiple someones actually." Kyoko's eyes trailed over to Izuru.

"You don't say?" Yasuke replied sarcastically.

"Never would've guessed," Jonathan replied sarcastically.

"…" Izuru remained silent.

"Just be careful," the imposter Kyoko replied with a small smile. "You never know; the truth may be even further from you than you think."

"Kirigiri!" Mukuro suddenly shouted.

"What is it?" the imposter Kyoko replied in a cold manner.

"I…I know you're not really her, but you should at least know this, right?" Mukuro asked in an unsure tone. "Makoto and her? Were they at least happy?" Mukuro looked down at the floor and her way of speaking became strained. "Please, tell me. I need to know. I need to know that he was happy when he died, at least on some level."

The imposter Kyoko scoffed. "Happy? You seriously think he could even be remotely happy after what you and your friends from Ultimate Despair put him and us through?" She scoffed again. "Maybe, at first. But I was still emotionally distant back then though so I didn't care enough to bother talking to him about it. I didn't reach out to him for help until he started reaching out to me for help. We depended on each other to see us through the rough times. I hated you and your sister for what you did to us. I hated you so much that sometimes I thought about how different things would've been if I saw you both for what you truly were from the beginning. I should've never trusted someone who used to kill people for a profession. I knew what you were and I ignored it. And worst of all I let you interact with him because I knew how you felt. I thought at one point, that maybe you two might make it work. But you let me down. You let me down time and time again, Mukuro. Your sister was right…" the imposter Kyoko gave Mukuro an extremely icy glare, "You are such a disappointment."

"…" Mukuro seemed to tense up at the imposter Kyoko's words but she couldn't find the strength to utter a reply.

"I tried figuring out the mystery of this place before I died, and I failed. I come from a family of elite detectives and in six years' time I learned almost nothing. Although every time someone died I figured out what happened, praying that someone didn't give in and murder a friend. After the first couple of cases I got the others to comply with a little fingerprint analysis. I didn't have the proper equipment so I improvised with some things I found around the school. And I managed to get fingerprint cards for everyone, including the students that died thanks to some impromptu visits to the biology lab. I stored them along with all the notes I took of my findings in my journal, but sadly even with all the time and effort I put into it I still couldn't crack the case. I always felt like an important detail was staring me right in the face, but try as I might I could never see it."

'Journal?' I thought back to the Final Destination Museum. 'I don't remember seeing anything like that. All that was missing from her case was her gloves. Could the Ultimate Imposter be lying or…?' I stared at the imposter Kyoko. 'No, I can't think of this person as the Ultimate Imposter, if they do have DID then this person here now really is Kyoko Kirigiri, at least that's what they think. And the Ultimate Detective would never lie unless it was for a good reason. At least that's what I'm hoping, if not then the true mystery might never be solved.'

I decided to play along with the Ultimate Imposter. "Kirigiri-san? Back up a second. What's all this about a journal?"

"My personal journal, I take it everywhere with me and make sure that it's always on my person. But after I decided with Makoto that suicide was the only way out without hurting a friend I hid it. I didn't want the Mastermind to catch on to me so that's why it didn't end up in my case at the museum. That is what you were going to ask right?" she replied.

"Exactly," I replied. "So if it wasn't on your person or in your room then that's the only way the Mastermind couldn't have housed it in the museum. Which means you hid it somewhere they couldn't find, right?"

The imposter Kyoko smiled at me. "Very astute. You would've made a fine detective."

"Hold up, hold up, hold up!" Monokuma exclaimed. "This is news to me! You kept such damning evidence hidden from me! Why the hell did you do that?!"

"Insurance," the imposter Kyoko replied. "I wanted to make sure that if others ever came to this hellhole then they would have at least a fighting chance at solving this unsolvable mystery. And now I have completed my role."

"Wait, then where is the journal?!" I exclaimed. "It might be important!"

"For this murder mystery, I doubt it," said Kyoko. "Save it for the bigger mystery at hand. That information will only be good for unmasking the Mastermind. So try to find it after you win this trial."

"Then at least tell us where you hid it," said Nodaka.

The imposter Kyoko smiled again. "Even with all the security cameras in the school there are a few places that are total blind spots. I hid it in one of those places, there's not that many so you should find it eventually. I hope it will help you on your journey, until then good luck." She turned around to make a gesture that she walking away. "Also, make sure that you use the restroom after all this is over. You've all been here quite a while so I assume some of you have to go. Make a mental note of it, that's all." And with that odd piece of advice stated she disappeared as the lights went off.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: KYOKO KIRIGIRI

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: KYOKO'S DIARY

And then out of the corner of my eye I saw Nagito clench the right side of his coat real hard as he wore a grim look on his face. A look that was very unbefitting of Nagito. 'The madness is even getting to him?' I asked myself. I thought back on how much it unnerved him when the Ultimate Imposter revealed that they knew about Mikan's true self, and ever since he witnessed that transformation he was as still as a statue. This was the first sign of life that I had seen him show since then. But enough about that. Now before we go any further I should probably tell you about the Ultimate Imposter's disguises for the other students since you didn't get to see them for yourselves.

After the imposter Mikan Tsumiki disappeared, an imposter Ibuki Mioda appeared. Again, she seemed just like the real Ibuki Mioda in both personality and tone of voice. And surprisingly, her face and hair were perfectly proportional to the other photos that I had seen of her. You would've thought that the Ultimate Imposter would have had a hard time matching Ibuki's odd sense of fashion yet the imposter Ibuki Mioda was almost a dead ringer for the original. Almost. In the lower area the Ultimate Imposter made two flaws. One, he messed up the order of Ibuki's ripped thigh highs. Her blue thigh high should've been on her left leg and her pink thigh high should've been on her right leg, only the Ultimate Imposter had them on the opposite legs. Also the real Ibuki Mioda had a long scar tattoo with stitches on her left thigh, and the imposter version didn't. But don't get me wrong, it's not like I was intentionally looking at her thighs or anything like that. I just happened to noticed when the imposter Ibuki kicked up her legs on her stand while played us a tune on her guitar. It was just a coincidence, so please audience don't get the wrong idea about me or anything. Please?

AMMUNITION UPDATED: IBUKI MIODA

After we were forced to listen to the extremely dark music of the late Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Peko Pekoyama. Again, dead match on personality and overall tone. The differences were very subtle. I noticed that the imposter Peko's skirt seemed to be even shorted than the original's, again not that I was intentionally looking there or anything. And secondly, the imposter Peko was missing her Shinai bag.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: PEKO PEKOYAMA

Then the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Nekomaru Nidai. The minor flaws in the disguise this time was that the imposter Nekomaru's facial scars seemed to curve at the end instead of going all the way down his face. And the imposter Nekomaru was also missing the towel that the real Nekomaru Nidai always had in the back of his track pants.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: NEKOMARU NIDAI

Then the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Gundham Tanaka. The minor flaws in the imposter Supreme Overlord of Ice's disguise were two subtle ones and one very big one. First of all, Gundham Tanaka has gray eyes but always wore a red contact lens over his right eye to keep up his Chuunibyou appearance as a wizard of hell…or whatever he thought he was. While the left side of his face has a large scar-shaped tattoo that goes over his eye. But the Ultimate Imposter's version of Gundham Tanaka had the red contact lens over the left eye to link up with the scar tattoo. While probably making the scar look more real it was still false from the original. Secondly, the imposter Gundham Tanaka was also missing the famous Hell Hound Earring which the real version would never be seen without. And finally, which was noticeable from the very start, the four pet hamsters that Gundham Tanaka always had on his person, San-D, Jum-P, Maga-Z, and Cham-P, were dead just like their master. However, the imposter Gundham Tanaka had little stuffed animal versions of them which might've been convincing if their eyes weren't made from buttons.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: GUNDHAM TANAKA

Then the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Kazuichi Soda. The minor flaws in the imposter Kazuichi Soda's disguise were that the imposter Kazuichi's hair wasn't dyed pink all the way and showed a little bit of his original hair color and that the imposter Kazuichi had added a piece to the punk rock persona that the original Kazuichi had made for himself. In that the imposter Kazuichi's tongue was pierced with a pink bead that matched the dyed hair and the contact lenses that he always wore. As much as Kazuichi had changed himself to get to where he was it was highly doubtful that he would get something like that.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: KAZUICHI SODA

Then the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Sonia Nevermind. The imposter Sonia's flaws were that her hair seemed to be much shorter than the original Sonia's and the diamond barrettes that the original Sonia wore in correlation with her black bow were replaced by ruby barrettes.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: SONIA NEVERMIND

Then the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Akane Owari. The imposter Akane's flaws were that her hair was much longer than compared to the many photos I had seen of her, and the white shirt that she always wore was missing quite a few buttons instead of the usual few that she intentionally kept undone. I actually think I saw a glimpse of her bra, black I think. Again, not that I was intentionally looking there! I'm not a perv!

AMMUNITION UPDATED: AKANE OWARI

And then finally the Ultimate Imposter took on the form of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. This disguise was very well done, down to the shaved head, rude mannerisms, baby-face complexion, and tiny physique that the Ultimate Yakuza was known for having. According to Nodaka, he was so short for his age because he refused to drink milk. I guess that meant that Fuyuhiko was living proof that the milk myth is really true. However, the one flaw was so obvious that it was literally staring us right in the face. He was missing his right eye. And in the place of his right eye was a black eyepatch monogramed with a unique dragon design. Obviously, the Fuyuhiko that I had seen had both of his eyes so it was clear he was a fake. I honestly don't know what the Ultimate Imposter was thinking in adding such a peculiar detail to his otherwise perfect disguise.

AMMUNITION UPDATED: FUYUHIKO KUZURYUU

Alright, now that you're all caught up let's see what the Ultimate Imposter's next disguise will be. When the lights came back on we were surprised to see a familiar face in a new peculiar shape. He had short platinum blonde hair, cold-looking blue eyes hidden behind a pair of rectangular wire-frame glasses. And he wore a white shirt and a green cross tie under a white dinner jacket, white slacks, and white dress shoes. He was also very…I guess husky would be a nice way of putting it but I don't think that even comes close to describing it. Okay I guess I won't sugarcoat it. He was obese. Extremely obese. Yet, despite the extra chin that it made him appear to have he still chose to wear that stoic and stern expression that stated wordlessly, "I'm better that you, deal with it". This was the Ultimate Imposter's impression of Byakuya Togami.

"So this is how you perceive Togami-san?" Jose asked.

"Haven't you plebeians been listening to anything the others have been saying?" the imposter Byakuya asked. "I am Byakuya Togami, the last remaining survivor of the fallen Togami clan. I am just one of many others who have found their lives destroyed by the combined efforts of the wretched Junko Enoshima and her group of maniacs, Ultimate Despair." He sighed and then frowned. "Sadly, even though I vowed vengeance against them in my past life I have come to realize that the reason I couldn't accept the fall of the Togami clan and the end of their glorious empire at the hands of perverted sociopaths who get off on tormenting one another is because I thought my family couldn't be toppled. I thought that the Togami clan would survive such an indomitable threat such as the world ending because the Togami clan itself is a force of nature which cannot be destroyed by another force of nature. My family's empire has stood the test of time because being a Togami means that you are destined to inherit the world itself. Being blessed with the name Togami is both a gift and a burden, I only realized this too late." He sighed again.

"I always thought that life was just too easy. I, the youngest child in my generation, was set to inherit everything if I proved myself worthy. So I did my best to prove myself to my father and the rest of the clan by exceling and mastering anything and everything I came across. Soon enough, living itself became no challenge whatsoever. Now that I think about it, perhaps my overconfidence and pride really was my folly. I deluded myself into thinking that I could not be beaten, that my family could not be beaten. And yet they were. Gods were defeated by mere mortals with a low rationality of morals. It shouldn't be possible!" he exclaimed through gritted teeth. "Till the very day I died, I asked myself time and time again. I tried to rationalize it. I tried, but no matter how I thought about it nothing made sense. It shouldn't be possible for the Togami clan to fall, our reaches in the world were vast and unparalleled. And yet, we fell. We fell from Heaven above and then crashed to the Earth as if we were expelled from paradise like filth, like common trash. They destroyed our lives. And it didn't make sense."

"What didn't make sense?" I asked him to explain.

"Everything!" he shouted back at me. "I couldn't comprehend any of it! I was raised on strict principles of survival of the fittest! To not waver, to not show a single shred of sympathy towards my enemies, to step on anything and anyone that got in my way of reaching the top! That's why I thought this game was so interesting at first! Me being who I am, I was sure that this was just another challenge fate had given me to prove once again that I am the best! And as for anyone who died along the way…well it just meant that they weren't strong enough to survive in this harsh world." He balled his fists up in anger and gritted his teeth again. Then he shouted, "I hate myself for ever thinking that! I always deluded myself in thinking that I was no less than a god, and everyone who stood below me was common gutter trash! Drones mindlessly busying themselves in order to keep society happy, never knowing the paradise that lied on the other side! I…I never once thought of them as my friends until the very end." He calmed down a little. "So many of them died before I even started to show a single ounce of sympathy. It was like I was no better than Ultimate Despair. I didn't care how many bodies laid before me, I just shrugged and moved on like it was none of my business. No matter who died next, it didn't matter to me. All I cared about was being the winner of the game."

Then he started to tear up. "The days leading up to my death was when everything started to finally sink in. I had been told that my entire family had perished, the Togami clan was no more. I was in denial at first, but as time rolled on I started to consider the possibility that it might really be true. And then I started to break. All my confidence and pride came from the belief that I was a descendant of gods. But if gods could fall to some idiotic, insane hooligans who torment others for fun then what did that make me? Was I just a normal human being from the start? But I had always denied that and treated others who were that as if they were unfit to breathe the same air as me. And all the horrible things that I had said and done to the others came flooding back. Not once, not once did I ever see them as friends or allies. They were just competition, competition who if I left alone long enough would eventually die on their own. Even when they tried to reach out to me, to let me know that they were there if I needed them, I pushed them away and insulted them forever even considering I needed their help. Which is why I died alone with regret in the one place which I thought of as my sanctuary because everyone avoided me when I was there. After a few weeks in captivity they knew that when I went in there for quiet I didn't want to be disturbed. By that time Monokuma had grown bored with the game so he didn't even feel the need to announce my death. It took three days before any of the others realized I had died."

"Is there a point to these nonsensical ramblings about how someone as pigheaded and brilliant as Togami-san showed remorse for his actions in his final moments?" Jose asked. "He would never, not even when he thought the world was against him, demean himself to ask for someone's assistance or show sympathy to those he considered weak. That's the kind of genius jackass he was. People like him don't have friends, it's just the way the world works and he knew that all too well. I agree that he was full of himself, I agree that he would step on whoever he deemed necessary to be sacrificed towards his goal, I even agree that someone as eccentric as him would be delighted about this insane game at first. But I will not believe that someone like him would dare show regret of their actions, till the very end he would deny having played the game anymore perfectly than he could've. Someone like him would never admit defeat even when they knew they were going to lose. If you don't believe me just think back on his case, he killed himself but in such an eccentric way that it's a perfect fit for someone who believed they were a god," Jose explained.

"I've had enough of this whole charade, you're not Togami-san and you never will be," said Jose. "You may look a little like him, talk like him, and even act like him, but you aren't him. You are nowhere near the height of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. So don't you dare demean his name any further in this mocking charade of pity and sympathy, it's just pathetic to think he would ever say such things."

"The way you talk about him, you must have admired him a whole lot," said Micho.

"No, not admiration. More like respect. I respected him as my intellectual equal even if he never saw me as a challenge. He was like the Adam Worth to my Joseph Bell. And if we finish this, then this will be the first time I ever beaten my "Napoleon of Crime". I'm going to do what Togami-san couldn't…" Jose smirked, "I'm going to destroy Ultimate Despair."

"There's no fighting the despair," the imposter Byakuya replied. "We all realized that eventually. You're right, I'm not Byakuya Togami, I'm not any of them. All I can do is pretend to be him and the others, that's how they live on. Through my memories," he said as he tapped his finger to his forehead. "I know everything about them, the secrets they keep hidden from the rest of the world, the desires that they have, and their weaknesses, they're all in the gray matter beneath my skull. Byakuya Togami is nothing but one of the many voices in my head."

"So you do have DID? And all the other students have become your other personalities?" I asked.

"Yes, that is correct. All it takes is severe trauma to develop another personality, right? Imbalance in life or something of the like? Well what do you call this situation? Six of years of hell and it's a wonder I only made it out with such a severely damaged psyche. And the despair inside me is threatening to pull me into a full blow psychotic break. I don't want to experience any more pain than necessary so that's why I want to die. And all the voices inside me agree as well. They think they're ghosts or what not, but really they're just fragments of my already broken personality. We all want to die. The despair is making me think that I want to die purely to take away what little life those voices have. But what I want, what we want is to kill the despair no matter what. We tried to kill ourselves but… _she_ wouldn't let us. She's slowly overpowering us, soon her voice will be the only one I can here, so that's why we faced our only other option of killing her. We had to murder Hajime. It was the only way to kill her. At first we tried to make the mystery simple for you to solve so that way we could get right to the execution and we could be rid of her once and for all," the imposter Byakuya explained. "But she caught onto our plan quicker than we thought she would. And she made us plant red herring after red herring to confuse you. Hajime too, he was also part of her plan. See how far she's gone? I'm barely in control of my own body anymore."

I could see them. This was the true Ultimate Imposter, hiding behind the mask of Byakuya Togami. I thought back to the wicked side that the Ultimate Imposter had shown us before when he was Hajime. 'That must have just been the despair. But this person…is it really them or just another trick?' I asked myself. "I have a question," I finally asked.

"Yes?" the imposter Byakuya replied.

"You tried to point us to DID in the first place, right? One of the objects hidden around the school. That was purely you right?" I asked.

"What are you talking about Aki, was there really anything like that?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, it was the…" I let my other self pick out the evidence I needed. (Ammunition needed: **Monokuma bookmark** ). "This is it!" I exclaimed. "Jagaimo-chan, do you still have that bookmark on you?" I asked Azami.

"Bookmark, bookmark hebi?" Azami responded by cocking her head to the side in confusion. Then it was as if a lightbulb had gone off on top of her head. "Oh, Azami-tan nearly forgot hebi!" she exclaimed. Then without hesitation she flipped up her skirt and stuck her hand down towards her nether region. Obviously this got some surprised gasps, and bewildered expressions from the others.

"Is she doing I what I think she's doing dudes?!" Nate exclaimed.

"For real, I saw them and everything!" Cam shouted as a deep blush overtook his face.

"What the hell is the matter with that crazy cat girl?!" Nodaka shouted.

"I've been trying to figure that out all day!" Micho shouted.

Jonathan covered up his eyes and then shouted at Azami. "For God sakes woman, don't you have any decency?!"

And out of the corner of my eye I saw that Deva was starting to get a nosebleed. "Killer," he muttered to himself.

Azami pulled the bookmark out from its hiding place and then stared at us all with bewildering looks. "What's the matter hebi? It's just Azami-tan's clue, see hebi," she said as she waved around the bookmark.

"You're kidding; she was really hiding that under there the whole time?" Shiro asked with a deep blush.

"There were no pockets in Azami-tan's skirt hebi. So she chose the next best place, she's pretty resourceful wouldn't you say hebi?" Azami asked with an innocent smile.

"I could definitely think of a few better things to call you," Nodaka replied with a scoff.

"Anyways, Jagaimo-chan really should thank you, Myo-kun hebi. If it wasn't for Myo-kun's deductions when he saw the clue earlier Jagaimo-chan might not have realized how valuable this clue was hebi," Azami thanked me.

"Um, no problem. I actually didn't think you would still be keeping that bookmark in that place Jagaimo-chan," I replied to her while my cheeks blushed a rosy red.

"Wait, back up a second," said Cam. "Did you just say that Maita-san had already seen where you hid the bookmark Jagaimo-san?" he asked Azami.

"That is correct Neko-kun hebi. Azami-tan wanted Myo-kun's opinion about the bookmark she found in the archery dojo because she wasn't sure if it was a valuable clue or not hebi. And Myo-kun was more than willing to help out, he even said so," Azami cleared her throat and then started to do a bad impression of me. "Okay yes hebi. I would really like to see what's under your skirt, Jagaimo-chan hebi." Then she changed back to her regular voice. "Myo-kun was really nice and understanding about it hebi."

And then suddenly everyone's eyes were on me. The guys didn't know what to think really, but as for all the girls, they gave me the sharpest glares I had even seen. If looks could kill, I would seriously be a dead man. I gulped loudly. "It's…it's not what you think. Sure I knew about it but I turned away at the last moment, I swear. It's not like I got a good look or anything!" As soon as it escaped my mouth I knew I had fucked up. Based on the guys' expression they knew I was a goner too. And the girls…good God the girls. I could actually feel their ice cold glares on me and they made my entire body go numb from fear. Micho, Keiko, Connie, Aya, Mukuro, Sawa, and even Beigoma. But the worst of all was Nodaka. I could actually see a vein popping in her forehead, as well as her gritted teeth and clenched fists. She looked like she wanted to maul me. The only one who showed even a tiny little bit of mercy was Chihiro, she just looked at me with pity in her eyes.

And then after a few quiet fear-filled moments, the girls' glares loosened a bit. "Azami-tan is sweet and innocent albeit slightly annoying sometimes," said Micho. "Just don't let me catch you taking advantage of her."

"I didn't think you had it in you, Mr. Akira Maita. You are by far the plainest looking boy here," said Keiko. "Be forewarned don't try anything else or you will suffer consequences most dire, of this I assure you." She gave me a wicked smirk.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to look at you the same way again, Maita-san. And here I thought that you were really kind, guess I am a bad judge of character," Sawa said.

"I take it back, you're nothing like Makoto," Mukuro said as she gave me a look of disgust.

Aya now looked like she was petrified of me. "Scary. Maita-san's scary. Please don't hurt pour defenseless Aya. I bruise easy like a peach." Even when she was scared of me she found the time to be her usual weird self.

Beigoma sighed. "I guess it's only natural for the little sister to be somewhat ashamed of her big brother. But still to think that it would happen so soon," she said to herself.

"Monsieur Alice is a very devious boy indeed. Be cautious of you from now on I shall, no?" Connie said to herself.

But Nodaka seemed to have completely let go of her rage. And instead she gave me a creepy smile with her eyes half-shut, an expression more befitting of Nagito. "I sense punishment in your future. I'm looking forward to it. Hope you got an eyeful for how much suffering you're going to endure, my naughty, misbehaving young master."

A sharp twinge of fear when up my spine as she uttered those words. 'Seriously, who is this girl?!' I exclaimed inwardly in fear of my own life.

"I…I didn't know someone could make the whole maid routine seem scary, even I got chills from that," Nate said to himself. "I pray for you in the next life dude," Nate said as he bowed his head to me.

"Same here," said Shiro.

"Nice knowing you, Aki," said Jonathan.

"You dug your own grave here," said Yasuke.

"You should've known better than to do something so pervy on your first day here. First impressions are everything," said Cam.

"I hope for your safe return to us," said Nagito. "But hope can only do so much," he added with a sweatdrop.

'Nice, real nice guys!' I inwardly exclaimed at the other guys who had completely abandoned me.

"Ahem," Jose cleared his throat to get our attention. "As entertaining as this whole situation is I believe we have more important matters to attend to. Now if I'm not mistaken that bookmark is the thing that brought you to the library in search of the Genocide Jack case file, right Maita-san?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," I was brought back to life while a single sliver of dread remained inside me. "If you examine the bookmark closely it gives you specific directions towards the backroom archives in the library, and it also points you right in the direction of the Genocide Jack case file, who we now know was the alternate personality of Toko Fukawa. And since the Ultimate Imposter mimicked Genocide Jack accordingly I can only assume that they knew about her condition beforehand."

"Technically it was Byakuya who discovered Toko's secret," said the imposter Byakuya. "She had a bit of a crush on him you see and she thought that if she opened up to him then maybe on some level he would find her even remotely interesting, or something like that anyway. It was always kind of hard to tell with that girl."

"So I assume that the bookmark was left behind by Togami-san before he died?" Jose asked.

"That is also correct. Byakuya was the only person who would ever spend so much time in the library so as soon as we found the bookmark we knew it had to be his. Then we found out about the Genocide Jack case file and we also found the last words that Byakuya left behind." The imposter Byakuya sighed, "You may be right," he said to Jose. "Maybe Byakuya's true feelings weren't as great as I described but in the end he did feel something towards the rest of us. Whether or not he was an uptight asshole, he was still our friend. So I and the other voices in my head planted that bookmark in hopes that it would lead you to the truth. But that bookmark wasn't the only evidence that we decided to plant. We had one other clue to give you, a clue given to us by Hajime himself. A clue that unfortunately wound up in the hands of her and was almost smashed to pieces."

'A clue that was almost smashed to pieces? They could only be talking about…' I had my other self pick out the evidence I needed. (Ammunition needed: **Byakuya Togami?** ). "This is it!" I exclaimed. "You're talking about the photo that was on Mahiru's digital camera, right? It had a picture of you on it in your Byakuya Togami disguise."

"Once again, you are correct," the imposter Byakuya replied. "While Hajime may have told you that Mahiru took that photo before she died I can tell you with all honesty that his words are nothing but lies. He's one of the few personalities that are under her control, so he tried to pull you away from the truth by insisting that it was Mahiru who took the picture and that he was the one who destroyed the camera in an effort to hide our true identity. But the truth of the matter is that the person who took that photo was Hajime himself."

"Well I think that's pretty obvious," said Yasuke, "So what's the catch?"

"The catch has to do with everything. Hajime found who I really was when he took that picture and the truth of the matter is that it frightened him. He was already in bad shape as you saw before and the secret pushed him over the edge. He became afraid of me and that's when he began to isolate himself from me and everyone else. He barely left his room after that and every chance I did get to see him he would show nothing by contempt for me. I don't know what hurt him worse, knowing that the girl he loved was never real or the fact that the person pretending to be her was slowly losing their mind and gathering personality after personality. And then things got even worse when the only people left were me and him. By that time, she had almost taken over completely and Hajime began to fear for his own life even more, so he decided to take out a protection plan against me if I or any of the others in my head decided to harm him."

"So that's why he buried the knife, right?" I asked. "It was just in case he needed it to defend himself?"

"Yes and no, my DID is special you see. I can only bring out another personality when I'm holding onto something from the original owner. That's the only way I can change from person to person," the imposter Byakuya replied.

"That sounds made up," said Jonathan.

"You would think, but that's how it seriously started. When I touched one of the others items that they left behind I instantly tuned into them, that's how I'm doing this right now. Each object in the Final Destination museum belonged to one of my friends and all I had to do to switch personas was touch something that belonged to them or that they had on them when they died. It's really quite simple actually. For example, Ikusaba-chan may I have that hoodie?" the imposter Byakuya asked.

"What?" Mukuro seemed surprised. She held on to the hoodie's fabric tightly. "T-This is Makoto's; nobody else should wear it but him."

"Then why are you wearing it?" the imposter Byakuya replied.

"Th-That's…" Mukuro blushed and looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Please, it will help me make my point," the imposter Byakuya outstretched one of his big, meaty hands and beckoned for Mukuro to turn the hoodie over to him. Mukuro stayed quiet for a few moments before she sighed and finally gave up. She took off Makoto's hoodie slowly and then handed it over to the imposter Byakuya. And then the second the imposter Byakuya's hand came into contact with the hoodie his eyes widened immensely and he began to shave vigorously, almost like he was having a seizure. Then without warning, the lights went off once again and when they came back on a few moments later we saw that the imposter Byakuya was gone and in his place was the familiar face of Makoto Naegi.

We all gasped at the sight of him. "No way!" Micho exclaimed.

"You've got to be kidding, he really was telling the truth?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Shiro said in a fearful tone.

"Actually now that I think about it, I seem to recall hearing somewhere that people who suffer from DID can have their personalities triggered by all sorts of things, from familiar locations to familiar words or phrases. This is the first instance that I've ever seen such a miraculous change though," Yasuke explained.

"All that scientific BS isn't going to explain what's going on here!" Nate shouted. "The guy changed from one person to another by touching a coat! This is freaking weird anyway you look at it!"

"It's not that strange if you think about it," the imposter Makoto suddenly spoke up, surprising us all. "I mean, think about everything you've seen today and you should understand that this is the only explanation that makes any sense. Everything planted, everything hidden, every clue that has ticked your noses. It was all left behind by us, and you would've figure it out earlier if not for her interference."

"You keep talking about "her", who is "her"?" I asked.

"Take a wild guess, who do you think would benefit the most from seeing you guys confused?" the imposter Makoto asked. "She's cold, heartless, and manipulative. She is the essence of pure evil."

'I can think of only one person who fits that description…' I let my other self pick out who it was and then replied, "Junko Enoshima, I take it you as the Ultimate Imposter must also have her as one of the voices inside your head."

"Right as always," the imposter Makoto replied. "I hear her voice even now; it's trying to pull me into despair once again. She's threatening to take complete control over my body from me and the others. Soon her voice will be the only one I can hear. But as strong as she is she does have a weakness."

"A weakness?" Mukuro repeated.

"This is where Hajime comes into the picture, after he found out who I was I confided in him while he would still listen to me that I was starting to hear Junko's voice everywhere, as well as keep envisioning her taking over my body. I could take being the others, it was actually rather enjoyable because it felt almost like they were still here with me. But as for Junko, after being her just once I knew that I never ever wanted to experience life as her again, so I did my best to keep away from Junko's things to make sure I wouldn't turn into her again. But that didn't keep her from trying to take control over me, she called out to me in the form of a weapon."

"The knife, right?" I replied.

The imposter Makoto nodded. "That knife appeared on the same day that Fuyuhiko died. At the time we didn't know how or why the knife came to be in his possession, but then later we found out that the knife originally belonged to Mukuro who we assumed must have given it to her sister Junko. That's when we realized that Junko had to have been the one to sneak in the knife. Although we never did find out how Fuyuhiko had found the knife after Junko had hidden it. But what was apparent was that the knife was Junko's and as soon as I came in contact with it I began to feel Juno's presence leering over me again, threatening to warp me into something unimaginable. At first I did my best to stay away from the knife but as time went on Junko's voice grew louder and louder inside my head. Always whispering to me and telling me to do horrible things to the others. It was as if Junko herself had come back from the grave to haunt me."

"So the knife is the trigger, right?" I asked. "The knife has the power to make Enoshima-san come out of you, just like Naegi-kun's hoodie is capable of bringing out your Naegi-kun persona?"

"Yeah, and eventually knowing the knife was there just waiting in the museum was too much for the voices to handle. I knew it was only a matter of time before I was tempted to take the knife and shut the voices up for good. But I also feared that if I did that then there would be nothing stopping Junko from doing something horrible to the others. That's why I ended up begging Hajime to get rid of the knife and hide so I wouldn't be tempted to use it. He agreed and hid the knife in a location unknown to me, which unfortunately I know now was the botanical garden. He even left that sweet note for me inside that box he hid the knife in. And when Junko caught on to our plan she got to work setting the rest of us up for suspicion by placing false clues and evidence all around the place. Then for the final phase she used the knife on Hajime while wearing Makoto's hoodie and sneakers to incriminate him and make her sister feel despair at the same time."

Mukuro growled. "Junko!"

"I'm not sure if framing Makoto in particular was her plan from the beginning but based on the evidence she left behind pointing to him it was clear that she didn't like him. But then again maybe her goal was just to stall for as much time as possible and make you all feel as much despair as possible," the imposter Makoto explained.

"I buy that, with everything we've already found out about Enoshima-san it was safe to say she had issues. And if your personas are almost dead on accurate then I wager that your Enoshima-san is almost as crazy as the original," said Jose.

"So let me get this straight," said Shiro. "The multiple personalities inside the Ultimate Imposter were basically having a civil war against the Jun-chan personality? And the Jun-chan personality is the one who killed Haji-chan, right? So does that mean that Jun-chan is our killer?" Shiro asked.

"In a way yes," the imposter Makoto replied. "But keep in mind that Junko is a part of me, so in other words she used my body to commit murder. Which means as far as the game is concerned I am just as guilty as she is."

"He's right you know. How can a personality commit murder on its own? They need arms and legs, as well as a whole freaking body to kill," Monokuma replied. "It's a tough rule considering only one of the personalities was in control when the murder took place but if you recall the rest of the personalities were also planning to murder Hajime-kun in hopes that they would get voted for and they could get rid of the Junko-chan personality once and for all."

"So there you have it, the entirety of the murder of Hajime Hinata," said the imposter Makoto. "Now what do you say that you guys end this right now so we can get rid of Junko once and for all."

"Wait, not just yet," said Mukuro. She glared intensely at the imposter Makoto. I want two things. One, give me Makoto's hoodie back you don't deserve to wear it. And two, bring out Junko. I want to talk to her and see what she has to say about all of this."

The imposter Makoto returned Mukuro's sharp gaze. "In response to your first demand Ikusaba-chan, I'd be happy to oblige. I think Makoto would've wanted you to have it anyway, and besides I think the person who started all this should be the one to help you guys end it. But as for your second demand, I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse. If I let her go right now then there's no telling what she'll do, she could make you all want to quit again just by talking to you. And then there would be no stopping her. She's too dangerous and manipulative to be set free, so I cannot let you talk with her." The imposter Makoto sighed and softened his gaze. "Look, I know she was your sister but that doesn't mean you have to keep letting her drag you down to her level, she's dead and you're not. That should be a wakeup call right there. Stop trying to understand her or protect her, she's a monster, she doesn't have feelings and she can't understand the feelings of others. Trying to convince yourself that she can be saved is just a waste of time."

"No, that's not what this is about," Mukuro replied as she began to shake like a leaf and tear up. "I want to tell her straight to her face that I will always love her but I can never forgive her for what's she's done to Makoto and the others and that…" Mukuro clenched her fists as she struggled to get the words out. Then she took a deep breath and suddenly exclaimed with rage, "I denounce her as my sister and I will make sure to send all of Ultimate Despair straight to hell with her!"

The imposter Makoto's eyes widened in surprise and then after a few moments his glare returned and he clenched his fists so hard that I thought he might have broken his hands. "Even though I can't send her out I can tell you that she is furious with you Iku…no, no more formalities," the imposter Makoto's grimace soon turned into a wicked smile, "Mukuro~." The imposter Makoto began to laugh maniacally as he held his head in place. "Oh she's pissed! She's very pissed! She says that you have no right to disown her you ungrateful bitch! If anything she should've disowned, you a long time ago! You're useless beyond comparison! You're such a disappointing older sister! God if only she knew in the beginning what a pain in the ass you would turn into she says she would've strangled you to death in your mother's womb!" The imposter Makoto laughed even more maniacally. "Can you imagine the despair she would get from killing her own flesh and blood sister?!" Then the imposter Makoto started to calm down and breathe very heavily, "I can barely contain her as it is but you pushed her over the edge. She wants to murder her dear sister more than anything else in the whole world right now, she wants to feel your blood all over her body. There's only one chance for you to save yourselves. I have to give the spotlight over to her. She's the only one who can keep Junko in check better than I can."

"Wait, there's another her?" I asked, not receiving a reply in return. The imposter Makoto quickly stripped off his hoodie and threw it Mukuro. Then he began to shake and tremble until his eyes rolled into the back of his head like he was having another seizure. And then the lights went out yet again. And then when they came back on I saw a small mousy-looking girl that I recognized immediately as Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. "N-Nanami-san?" I asked. "You are Chiaki Nanami-san, right?"

"Well, yes and no. You guys should know that by now…I think," she added with a quizzical look. "The person called Chiaki Nanami did at one point exist and she also at one point attended Hope's Peak Academy, but no I am not the real Chiaki Nanami. I've just been taking her place for quite some time," the imposter Chiaki explained.

"Wait, so when the imposter Hinata-kun said that Chiaki Nanami was just a persona you invented? That was another lie?" Micho asked.

"Well, yes and no," the imposter Chiaki replied again.

"What's yes and no about it? Did Chiaki Nanami really exist at one point like the other students whose lives you copied or not? It's a simple question you idiot," said Jonathan.

The imposter Chiaki put her finger to her cheek while she wore a puzzled expression. "Hmm, how to explain all this?" she asked herself. Then after a few moments she began to speak again. "Okay I think I know how I can explain everything to you guys now…possibly. Allow me to tell you a story about a child that was abandoned at birth because their own parents didn't want them. From the very beginning they realized how unfair life was and how cold society can be to people who are deemed undesirable. So the child did everything in their power to change how the world saw them both on the inside and outside. And for a brief time it worked. The child copied the lifestyles choices of another person who was better off than they were and the child's life began to change for the better. But soon the child began to think of the person that they were now as nothing more than a hollow shell. No matter what they did, they would never truly be that person they decided to copy. So they tried moving onto another identity to see if it was a better fit. But again, no such luck. All the child ever did was copy others, they did a good job at it but it wouldn't change the fact that they were just a copy of another person. Time and time again, the child always thought of themselves as nothing but a leech that latched itself onto the lives of others. The child itself had no real identity they could call their own," the imposter Chiaki explained.

"Were there times when then the child felt happy about being another person? Yes. Were there people who knew about their secret and accepted them for the copycat that they were? Sure, a few. But did the child feel comfortable in their own skin? No, never, not once. Insecurity begat weakness and fear and that begat despair. There was even a point in the child's life in which the Queen of Despair herself appeared to them and offered them the chance to join her and make the world pay for rejecting them for the real them," the imposter Chiaki explained.

"Are you saying that you're part of Ultimate Despair?" Yasuke asked.

"I can't say whether or not any of the other people I've copied were Ultimate Despair but I know I'm not and I know Chiaki wasn't," the imposter Chiaki replied.

"And how do you know that?" I asked.

"Because the real Chiaki Nanami was killed by Ultimate Despair," the imposter Chiaki replied.

"…" silence filled the room as this startling revelation sunk in.

"K-Killed? What do you mean by killed?" Sawa asked in horror.

"I wasn't there for that event but from what I heard it was staged as a pretty elaborate suicide, but in actuality the end result was that Chiaki was punished for her crimes against Junko and Ultimate Despair. And she had to pay for her crimes with her life," the imposter Chiaki explained.

"Crimes, what crimes?" I asked.

"She tried to prevent other students from falling into despair so she chose to become a martyr to rally the others into fighting against the despair. She wanted more than anything to stop this cruel game of mutual killing. That was her one goal in both life and death," the imposter Chiaki replied.

"Okay, then why did you pretend to be her after that?" I asked.

"I wonder; would you believe me if I said I was forced too?" the imposter Chiaki asked.

"The way you just said that makes it kind of hard to believe anything that you say," Jose replied.

"Well if you must know, I didn't really want to be a part of this from the beginning. I didn't want to pretend I was Chiaki; after all she was one of the few friends I actually had. But she forced me too. I didn't join her because I agreed with the things she wanted, I agreed to join mainly out of fear that if I refused I might end up like the last person who refused to join her," the imposter Chiaki replied.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw an unbelievable sight. The normally stoic and cool Izuru Kamukura suddenly tensed up and appeared to be repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists in an anxious manner. 'Izuru?' I thought to myself.

"So I took on the life of Chiaki Nanami because it was crucial to her plan for me to do so. I lied to all my friends, and worst of all I took advantage of Hajime's feelings for Chiaki all because I was too afraid of what she might do to me if I stood up to her. The others didn't even know that Chiaki had been killed before we came here, I took her place right after that and no one suspected a thing. It wasn't until much later that Hajime finally discovered the truth and I confided in him because it didn't matter anymore. She was dead…or so I thought," the imposter Chiaki explained.

"So Junko threatened you to pretend that you were Chiaki for all these years?" I asked. "So Chiaki is just one of the many people whose identities you've stolen over the years, eh?"

"Yes, it's like I said the real me is just a coward inside and out. I can pretend to be strong, but no matter how hard I try I will never truly be strong. I'm nothing but a copycat. The only thing I'm good at is pretending to be someone I'm not." The imposter Chiaki sighed and looked down at the floor. "And now just as I think I've been freed from Junko's grasp, Ultimate Despair grows stronger still and worst of all even thought I know that she is dead without a doubt I can still hear her voice in my head. Whispering things to me, and telling me to do horrible, horrible things or else she'll kill me from the inside out."

"There's one more thing I don't get. If you were free of Enoshima-san than why did you bring her back to life in your head like you did with your friends?" I asked.

"I didn't mean too, I just wanted to understand, if even remotely, why she did the awful things that she did. And it just got out of hand. Before I knew it I started seeing her and hearing her voice everywhere I went. I had constant nightmares about her coming back from the dead and killing all of my friends right before my eyes before finally killing me in the end. I even once dreamed that I did it myself and when I looked into the mirror I saw that I had become Junko." The imposter Chiaki started to hyperventilate. "S-She's wormed her way into my head and I can't get her out! The only other option I could take to finally get rid of her was to have her executed! But that's not even working! Even though she knows this is the end she's not scared at all! She's looking forward to it! She's looking forward to taking what little remains of me, Chiaki, and the others along with her for the ride!" Her pupils constricted. "It's taking every ounce of willpower I have now just to keep her back!"

"Nanami-san?!" I exclaimed in fear for her well-being.

"Is she okay?!" Micho exclaimed in a worried tone.

"She looks like she's burning up," said Jonathan.

The imposter Chiaki started to pant heavily and shake as well. "No, I can't hold her back anymore! It feels like my head is splitting in two!" she screamed in pain as she gripped her head tightly.

"Matsuda-kun, you're a neurologist! What's happening to her?! How do we stop it?!" Sawa exclaimed.

"It looks like her mind's trying to reject the Enoshima personality but that's not gonna work," Yasuke explained with a little worry in his tone. "Enoshima is a part of her now, and if she keeps trying to reject her she's going to end up bleeding up into her brain from the pressure. Dammit, she doesn't have any choice but to let her out!"

"I…I can't! She's too strong! I can't take it anymore! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much!" she screamed in agony as tears started to stream down her face.

"Isn't there something else we can do; Junko is going to end up killing her?!" Nate exclaimed.

"I already told you, the only she can do is not fight it! If she lets Junko take over like she wants, then she'll stop feeling pain otherwise the two personalities inside are going to keep fighting until they end up destroying her brain!" Yasuke exclaimed.

Mukuro growled. "Junko if can hear me then come out right now! Leave her and the others alone and come out and face me! I know you want to kill me for what I said so I'm daring you try and kill me if you can! Just leave them alone they're all sick and tired of you! You're nothing more than a parasite that sucks the life out of everyone you come in contact with! So come out and show yourself to me you coward!" Mukuro shouted at the imposter Chiaki.

And then the imposter Chiaki's eyes suddenly widened and all of a sudden she stopped writhing in pain. "Mukuro, Mukuro, Mukuro. You never learn do you?" The imposter Chiaki raised her head and showed us that the pained expression she was wearing not ten seconds ago had been replaced by a wicked and insane-looking grimace. "My dear, sweet, stupid sister. Whatever am I going to do with you?" she asked mockingly. Then she reached for the voice modulator that she was wearing and Chiaki's gentle voice began to turn into the snide and domineering voice which I assumed could only belong to Junko Enoshima. "Well here I am. You want Junko, you got Junko!" She giggled incessantly as the lights turned off and our vision was obscured.

And then when the lights came back on Chiaki Nanami had been replaced by the one and only Ultimate Despair herself, Junko Enoshima. The imposter Junko laughed and laughed as we all stared at her with bewildered expressions. And then when she finally stopped laughed she let loose a creepy sigh and blushed deeply. "Oh that despairful look on your faces. Like you're seeing the devil herself up close and in person. It's so erotic! I'm getting tingly all over by just being looked at with such contempt! Oh the hate coming off you guys is just too much! You must all really hate me to make me feel this good! That's it more, give me more despair!" Then she began to shake all over and when she was finally done she began panting really heavily. "Oh, oh God. Oh that was a rush. I think I might need some new panties after that one. A new skirt too. Geez, you guys really know how to make a girl feel welcome, don't you?"

"…" the girls looked at her in complete disgust. The guys however didn't really know how to respond.

"W-W-What the fuck was that dude?!" Nate exclaimed with a deep red blush. "Don't tell me she just…just…you know?!"

"I'm pretty sure judging by her voice that she just did," said Yasuke as he looked away in embarrassment.

"And she didn't even have to do anything either, she got all hot and bother just from us looking at her with contempt? What the hell? How ready to go is this chick?" Deva asked.

"I…I…I…I…honestly don't know want to think after that," Jonathan appeared to be at a loss for words.

My eye twitched in frustration. I wanted to say something really bad but I could also feel Nodaka glaring daggers at me again so I decided to keep my mouth shut. I motioned non-verbally to her that I intended to do so and in exchange she gave me a heart-warming smile as well as a threat that if I said anything I'd get my throat cut.

"So anyways, what is the pleasure that I have for being invited to such a heart-warming get together?" the imposter Junko asked.

"Enough games Junko! I've had enough!" Mukuro shouted.

"Mukuro, you should know better than anyone that I'm not really here, my body's stuffed in that back room with all the others. I'm just what you might call, Junko's ghost. No real Junko Enoshima unfortunately. But I've made it my mission in this second life to be even more perverse and cruel than Junko classic. New body, same great Junko taste!" she flashed us a peace sign to emphasize her point.

"I said enough! I don't care if you're the real Junko or not, the point is that you symbolize everything that she stood for and that's why I want you to pay! I want you to pay for everything that you've done to Makoto and our friends…and also for what you've done to my new friends here!" she motioned to the rest of us. "You kidnapped them and erased years' worth of their memories and have caused them such great pain and heartache at the realization that the world they came from is gone! Not to mention Makoto and the others! This game of yours forced them to see no other options besides death! You've brought them all into despair and I cannot forgive you for that! You have to pay! You have to pay for all your crimes!"

The imposter Junko shot a demeaning glare to her sister. "Well, well, well looks like little Miss Soldier has finally grown herself a backbone. Now where was all this determination and rebellion when we were little? Back then no matter what I would do to you or anyone else you would just hug me and say it's all right Junko I forgive you. You're the enabler of our duo. Have you forgotten that? The parameters you set for yourself from the very moment you realized what I was were that you would always stay by my side and love me no matter what I did. No matter if I picked on you, played with your emotions, or even murdered all your friends. Oh wait, that's right you didn't have any friends growing up, did you? Nope, poor little Mukuro was always alone. I saw too that. I remember that I used to personally sabotage any chance you had at friendship."

"So you know a few things about Junko, big deal. It doesn't make a difference if you are her or not, remember?" Mukuro replied. "You symbolize my little sister's poisoned mind and that's all I need to get through this."

"Oh yeah, you were going to disown me, right?" Junko asked. "Well who cares? I've practically denounced you as my sister already too. This will be the second time you've went against my wishes, won't it? I thought I gave you very clear instructions, even in the event of my demise you are not supposed to reveal your connection to me and yet you've spilled the beans completely. You're nothing more than a traitor, but even still do you really think these kids will forgive you? You had a large hand in their kidnapping as the twentieth student "abducted". And you were also behind in Ultimate Despair's Despairification of Humanity Project. You're one of the Despair Sisters for crying out loud." The imposter Junko began to laugh at Mukuro, and Mukuro began to frown and feel discouraged. "* _Fufufufufufufufufu_ *, you honestly think they're going to trust you after knowing all this?! Wow, and people call me crazy?!"

I grunted and then shouted, "Shut up! What the hell kind of sister were you anyway?! All her life Ikusaba-san has put up with your shit time and time again! She's admitted that she helped you carry out your plans! She's admitted that she's a killer! She's already admitted all of her sins to us! And you know what?! I forgive her and so does everyone else! She doesn't need you anymore, she doesn't need to be recognized as your sister or as a part of Ultimate Despair! She is Mukuro Ikusaba and she is stronger than you will ever be you manipulative bitch!"

"Maita?" Mukuro seemed surprised that I stood up for her.

"And just who the hell are you little boy?!" Junko shouted back at me. "She's my sister and I can treat her however I want! If I say jump, she says how high! If I tell her to kill, she does so without hesitation! Heck, if I told her to slit her own throat she'd probably pull out a knife and ask me how deep she should do it! She is nothing more than my pawn! And how dare you make her think she's anything but, you little twerp?!"

"Shut the hell up Junko!" Mukuro regained her courage and shouted at her sister. "Here's what's going to happen, you're going to admit your crimes, admit that you and the other personalities conspired to kill Hajime Hinata, and you're going to repent for all that you put the others through. And then you're going to be executed in as you would describe it a cruel yet fun way. And we're going to walk out of here and begin our fight against the new Mastermind and the rest of Ultimate Despair. And I will not stop until the empire that I helped you build is burnt to ashes!"

The imposter Junko looked like she could not believe what she was hearing. "Geez, what's with this hostile third degree all of a sudden? It was fun back when I could still smell the fear and despair on you but the hate that I'm feeling right now doesn't have any trace of despair in it all. It's like you really think you can beat me. Me, the transcendent one! Despair incarnate! One who has proven that they will not let even their own morality stop their goals! I am the goddess of despair and I will not stop spreading misery and phamon until everyone on Earth is as filled with despair as my little meat puppet here is! They were so hungry for despair that they knew the only way they could get that much despair was for them to become me, the essence of despair!"

"You're just an egomaniacal personality inside of an insecure little freak who likes to pretend to be people that they think are all powerful," said Nodaka. "You don't scare me. You're dead, and you can't hurt anybody now you evil bitch!"

The imposter Junko turned to the side and covered her face with her right hand to emphasize her mysterious aura. And she also began to talk in a serious tone, letting us know that she was as cool as a cucumber. "Really little girl? You're not afraid of me? Well you should be. You should all be very afraid of me. Why? Well it's because I know all of your dirty little secrets."

"…" we all fell silent.

'Secrets? What does she mean?' I asked myself.

"How do you think I can increase my armies so vastly by tapping into such little despair that is inside a normal person and completely bending them to my will? Do you think it's like a supernatural power? Like I just kiss them or touch them in a sexual way and they just become my little love slaves? Well that would be cool but it's a little bit more intricate than that. You see, ever since I can remember I have always been able to read people as if they were books. Some people are easy to read and they hang all their emotions out on their sleeves, and others are challenges and can prove difficult for me to find out what exactly makes them tick. But it all ends the same way, I'm able to sniff out the tiniest bit of darkness in the sea of purity that is a person's soul. Now like I said before, people vary. Some people have only a small amount of darkness inside of them and others, well they're about as real on the outside as dolls. And I see all of my followers as nothing but dolls for me to play with. One by one, person by person I taught each and every one of them to embrace the desires that they held deep within their hearts. The desires to inflict pain and suffering, to mame and slaughter, to rape and desecrate, to ravage and murder. Just what human beings have been doing to each other since the beginning of time, that's all I've had them do. Do you know how many people have been killed…no, I don't mean died…killed since the beginning of time? If you think about all the wars, pestilence, phamon, and tragedies that have befallen mankind since then it would probably add up to all the people all the planet times…let's say a hundred billion…though in reality it's probably much, much more."

My skin was literally crawling. Just hearing her talk was nauseating. 'So this is the power of the Ultimate Despair? I know it's fake, I know she's not really here. But still, why does it feel so overwhelming? It feels hard to breathe.'

She smiled softly. "Murder is a way of life. It's as natural as breathing, eating, or taking a shit. Back in the days when the Earth was still young if you killed someone no one would even bat an eye. Our world works the way it does because of one simple law, survival of the fittest. It's been that way since the beginning. But ever since the creation of society murder has been frowned upon as an act against God. And now when you murder someone you receive punishment. However, somehow society fails to remember the several trillions of people who failed to be protected by these laws of restraint. If a person is acting on their instinct to kill, then their morals are broken. That's the way society sees it." She giggled. "The hypocrisy is really laughable when you get down to it. Society basically rejects being human."

"You're sick in the head!" Micho exclaimed. "Are you seriously saying that murder is basic human nature?!"

"We murder animals every day because we need meat to survive. The only reason people don't butcher each other as much as we butcher animals is because society dictates that it is a crime against nature and humanity itself. That's the only reason murder is taboo. Yet, there are still some religions out there that believe in sacrifices in blood and death. But in the eyes of society it is still taboo. Think about it, a very act of nature is taboo in our eyes. Isn't that like basically saying that human beings aren't part of nature?" The imposter Junko giggled again. "We think we're so high and mighty because we evolved to the point where we don't need to rely on basic instinct to survive, whoopty freaking doo! It doesn't change the fact that deep down inside we evolved from animals. Society will have you forget that and make you think that because of their morals we have to be held in a higher regard than other living things. Why? Why do we have to be the center of the freaking universe? Because God gave us the power to think for ourselves and make our own choices? Because we have free will and have to do something good with it? Please, that's all a bunch of self-serving, egotistical crap. The world is stuck in a rut and evolution is at a standstill because the world refuses to change…or at least the stubborn inhabitants of the world do. Mankind has forgotten its roots. It's become so bloated, misguided, pigheaded, and full of itself that it has refused to think of the next step. The greed, gluttony, lust, envy, sloth, pride, and wrath of mankind has decimated the world and basically left it useless for future generations. Honestly, what would we have to look forward to in our world? Even more pollution? Corporations owning a now bankrupt world? Or even a freaking robot uprising? Is that really a world you want to live in?"

"I…I have no idea what to say to all of this," said Jonathan.

"I say that if mankind doesn't want to evolve then we make it evolve! Get rid of society, order, morals, and all of that restraining shit! To change the world, the only feasible option becomes to break it down completely and then completely rebuild it from scratch." She turned to face us all again. And then she put her hands on her hips and stood at attention to show us that she meant business. "It is time my children, time for you to join my army and embrace the new future that shall be created in the name of despair! We're almost there! Yes, we're so close to creating our wonderful new world! Our Despairadise is within our grasp!" After that she laughed and laughed and laughed. "Yeah right! Did I sound super serious right then?! Like a real old-fashioned cult leader?! Ha-ha, you should have seen the looks on your faces when you thought I was giving you my manifesto! Priceless!" After that she pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye and then calmed down and stopped laughing. "No, no, no. The whole point of doing this isn't to make the world learn some big valuable less about hypocrisy. That's boriiiiiiiiinnnnnnnng! No, the whole point is to make everybody as fucked up, perverted, and disgusting as I am!" Her eyes seemed to twinkle. "That is Despairadise! A land full of Junkos, where everybody stabs each other to say hello, where there are no laws or rules to discourage people from having fun, and where practicing necrophilia is as natural as blowing…your nose!"

"What the hell is your problem you psycho?! There is no way in hell any of us would ever agree to join your crazy terrorist cult!" Nate shouted at the imposter Junko.

"You'd have to really be as insane as they say to think that we'd even consider joining for a second!" Sawa shouted at her.

The imposter Junko giggled again. "Oh my poor stupid children. Don't you understand? I don't need you to agree to join me." She smiled wickedly. "You already have."

"…" we all gasped.

"Wait, what do you mean they already have? Explain!" Mukuro shouted.

"Mukuro, Mukuro, Mukuro, it's pretty sad that I know more than you," the imposter Junko cooed. "Of all of Junko's dolls I was her least favorite, my only redeemable quality was that I could be anyone she needed me to be. As you saw there was a small part of me that still resisted the despair inside this frail body of mine. But thanks to your ceaseless badgering to see Junko that part of me is long gone. You'll probably never see that little copycat ever again; I was one of the few people who knew who they really were too but now I'm even having trouble remembering that…what was it? Ryo…something or other?"

"You liar. They are still in there, aren't they? Bring them back now!" I shouted.

"Maybe, maybe not. You were the one who wanted to talk to me right? You want Junko, you got Junko. Pretty sure I said that already," the imposter Junko replied. "Now back to the matter at hand. Where was I? Oh yeah, right! Yeah, you guys already agreed to join. All of you. Mukuro, they're just like you in every way. All of them are also Ultimate Despair."

"What?!" we all exclaimed in unison.

The imposter Junko smirked innocently and pretended to stretch her arms up over her head in boredom. "You didn't know? Oh yeah, that's right. You guys had your memories erased didn't you? Tough luck, that means you guys can't remember a thing from the last seven years can you?"

"Y-You're kidding?! There's no way we're in league with Ultimate Despair! No way!" I shouted.

"I would never ever join a horrible group like that!" Micho shouted.

"No way in hell is that true!" Jonathan shouted.

"You're crazy! You're just trying to mess with us! Admit it!" Yasuke shouted.

"How do you know?" she asked innocently. "Can you guys remember anything? What do you think, we just put you to sleep for seven years just to bring you out and then make you play a game to decide the fate of the world? That's a different survival horror visual novel game you're thinking of, and it's not even the original it's the sequel. In our little sci-fi visual novel world, the only things we have to work with are erasing memories and robot teddy bears. Them's the rules, no point in changing them now."

"Other game? Wait, wasn't there a video game that was sort of like this?" Shiro asked. "I'm pretty sure I played it once or twice. I remember liking it because it had lots of puzzles and one of the characters was like me. What was the name of it again? _9 hours_ …"

"Bup. Bup. Bup. Bup. We're breaking the fourth wall as it is! Do you really want to say our game has anything to do with the game that shall not be named! Do you want to get sued?!That game does not exist! Blah, blah, blah, this our own unique game! We didn't come up with the idea or trapped survival scenarios but we added murder mysteries like that other game that shall not be named so it's unique! Unique, there's no need for greedy writers to come and sue us!" Then she sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter. We're not being produced and our current creator doesn't have the current ability to actually make this game so we should be good."

"Does anybody even understand what the hell she's talking about anymore?" Cam asked. "Cause I think it's gotten to the point where even she doesn't know what she's saying, you know."

"Trying to follow one word of her psychobabble is as pointless as searching for Atlantis," Aya said as she shrugged her shoulder. "Interesting and entertaining to hear about, yet a waste of time trying to understand."

"Anyways, yeah basically you all decided to join up with Ultimate Despair before we gave your memories the old eraser treatment," said the imposter Junko.

"Shut up! We know you're lying already!" I shouted at her.

"Yeah, I am lying. But only a little. It was just a few of you who decided to join during the big gap," said Junko. "And a few of you were like Mukuro, and were members before any of this even started."

"Enough lies!" I shouted at her.

"I'm not lying…much," the imposter Junko replied. "Why don't you ask yourself if you're so sure nobody here's one of our sleeper agents? We could've even picked someone as boring as you to join us. Ultimate Despair's not that picky."

"I would never, and I know that no one else here would either!" I exclaimed in determination.

"Really? Are you sure, you're sure? Okay then what if I told you, that you guys got a really big detail wrong. If you let me do that, and it still doesn't fill you with despair then I'll give up and tell you all about my crimes as Junko and the others when I murdered Hajime. And after that I'm all yours to execute. So what do you say, do we have a deal?" the imposter Junko asked.

I looked around at the others and saw that they all nodded in agreement. Then I replied, "Okay, what's the big secret that you're dying to tell us?"

"Well, you see while twenty students were abducted using false letters inquiring about an extracurricular course, I'm afraid that when you all woke up in our newly remodeled academy you were missing one of your fellow abductees. And you didn't even notice they were gone, isn't that tragic?" the imposter Junko asked.

"What are you talking about? All twenty of us are here right now. Don't play mind games with us," I replied.

"This isn't a mind game," the imposter Junko replied. "I'm telling you the truth, and nothing but…this time at least. One of you is missing and another person took their place."

"…" we all remained silent after hearing this realization.

"That's right, one of you is a dirty little spy, but you've still got a little bit of memory loss," she said with a smirk. "And here's the best part, even I don't know who it is. I might know the identities of the other members in this group, but not the spy. Doesn't it just fill you up with despair, knowing that one of your precious comrades has been lying to you from the very beginning?" She laughed and laughed and laughed at our hopeless situation. And for what seemed like an eternity we just kept trading paranoid glances back and forth at each other, in a desperate attempt to figure out if there was any truth to what the imposter Junko was telling us. But try as we might, all it made us feel was more paranoia.

'One of us is a spy? Could that really be true?' I asked myself. Then I shook my head in disbelief. 'No, what am I thinking even considering something like that? She's obviously lying. This is just Ultimate Despair's way of trying to get us to distrust each other. But still though…' I looked past the imposter Junko and stared at Monokuma. 'Why hasn't Monokuma said anything about this? It's like he's been on auto pilot since the Ultimate Imposter first turned into Junko. Why? Usually Monokuma would be laughing at us along with this psycho, but now he's completely silent. Why does that even feel me with even more dread then hearing these obvious lies?' Then Monokuma became responsive again and noticed that I was glancing at him. He gave me a simple wave and nod, and then he brought up his finger to his mouth and made a gesture for me to stay quiet. 'What? What does that mean? Is he trying to tell me that it is true?' I shook my head again. 'No. No, wait why am I even considering listening to him? I trust the little furry bastard about as far I can throw him. What's…? What's going on? Why is my brain going into paranoid overdrive all of a sudden?' I gripped the sides of my head as I tried to make heads or tails of this situation. I glanced over at the others and I noticed that I wasn't the only person who was struggling to process this information. Everyone looked unnerved by this sudden information, even the usually stoic looking students.

'It shouldn't even be a question as to whether or not we can trust this information. It's obviously just a ploy to drive a wedge between us. And it's working. Why? Why do I suddenly feel like I can't trust anyone? Not even myself?' I thought about each person here with me. 'Izuru. Yasuke. Micho. Mukuro. Beigoma. Nate. Jonathan. Shiro. Aya. Sawa. Soshun and Deva. Azami. Cam. Chihiro. Jose. Connie. Keiko. Nagito. And Nodaka. Sure a few of them might be a little more than questionable but I doubt any of them would willingly participate in the kind of atrocities that Ultimate Despair is involved in. But why? Why do I feel like I should be a little wary of them? One of them wasn't abducted like us, and is really just a spy? Impossible. But if it is true, then who is the real twentieth student? And where are they?' I held my head in frustration. 'Why am I hesitating so much? The whole spy thing can't be true! It can't!'

The imposter Junko snickered in delight. "You should see the looks on your faces right now! Oh the despair is exhilarating! More! Give me more! Come on damn you, this much despair isn't nearly enough to satisfy me!"

"I…I have a question," I said with a little hesitation.

"Oh you think you have what it takes to satisfy me little boy?" the imposter Junko asked as she licked her lips. "Well you never know, underneath that scrawny physique and emoesque appearance might be a charismatic man packing a whopping load of despair! Give it to me! I'll take it all!"

"Ultimate Despair took away our memories, right?" I asked.

"Correctomundo! I thought we already covered this?!" she replied.

"Is it possible that they took away more memories besides the ones in that seven year gap? I just want to know is it possible that you guys erased more than you said. So answer me, is it possible?" I asked.

The imposter Junko calmed down and gave me a serious look. "So you're already starting to experience _it_ , eh?"

" _It_? What's _it_?" Micho repeated in fear.

"You really want to know? I'll tell you if you want but it's gonna give your little hearts a great big shock, so I hope you're prepared," the imposter Junko said as she twirled one of her twin tails mindlessly.

"Just tell us! It's my research dammit! I want to know what you bastards did with it!" Yasuke shouted all of a sudden.

The imposter Junko smirked. "We did a few experiments with the mind erasing technology provided to us by the notes of the Ultimate Neurologist," she explained. "I was one of the guinea pigs at one point as well, and by that I mean me and the real Junko. But during the experiments we learned a little trick that not most people know when using the technology. Erasing maybe one year of memories doesn't necessarily have any risks besides a few massive headaches on the guinea pig when they start to remember the things they've forgotten. But when trying to erase more time than that, say oh I don't know, seven years or so…?

"…" our eyes widened all at once.

"The mind starts to get a little fuzzy when it comes to memories. Some recent things the guinea pig's mind will be unable to remember, there might even be momentary lapses in memory where the guinea pig forgets where they are and what they are doing all together. It's completely random so there's no telling when your memories might just relapse on you all of a sudden. But one thing is for sure, eventually the guinea pigs started to forget one thing after another until eventually they couldn't remember their own names much less anything else. Full on amnesia."

"Wait are you saying that eventually we all might develop amnesia?!" I exclaimed.

"The mind's a bitch ain't it?" the imposter Junko replied. "And judging by the sudden curiosity I'd say you're already starting to forget some more things aren't you, Akira?" The others began to look at me strangely. Some of them out of concern and others out of suspicion. And it hurt. It really hurt. "Geez, that can't be good. Usually in mysteries the character with amnesia is often the person who has the most to do with the crime at hand. Which in this case would be the suspicion of being a spy am I right? Oh no wait, I guess since that person has been lying to you from the beginning traitor would be a better word? No, no, because he wouldn't remember being the spy even if he was them. So, mole then?" She sighed. "You know what it doesn't matter, call them whatever you wish."

"No, you're lying. You said this was going to happen to all of us eventually. Just because I'm the first one who's experiencing it doesn't mean anything," I replied. I was trying to convince the others that I was innocent but I think I was mainly trying to convince myself.

"True, it doesn't necessarily mean you're the traitor. You could be one of the sleeper agents for all we know, right Akira? If that's even your real name," said the imposter Junko.

I growled at her. "Shut the hell up! I regret ever opening my mouth!"

"Bet you do," she replied with a giggle.

"Enough!" Mukuro exclaimed. "We've listened to your little threat! And we don't even know if it's true or not! We've done what you asked so go ahead and admit your crimes! And stop acting like Junko! I don't want to see her face anymore!"

The imposter Junko sighed. "Where's the love sis? But okay, fine I'll admit it. I did it, I killed Hajime Hinata, and I'll tell you all about it. But if it's okay with you guys I'm gonna keep being Junko for the time being. Looks like I really got under your skin using her, eh? But to be fair I warned you."

'Right, I can think about the rest of this later. Right now, it's time to end this,' I thought to myself.

* * *

CLOSING ARGUMENT: SUSPECT EDITION

FALSE PANELS: 2

* * *

 **Warning:** Hi, it's me again here to introduce a new feature for the Closing Argument minigame. For the remainder of the story all Closing Arguments will be divided into two sections, Suspect Edition in which the suspect recounts their events of the crime and Truth Edition in which the MC tells the true events of the crime just like in the previous games. The only difference is that Suspect Edition will function similar to Rebuttal Showdowns and Non-Stop Debates in the fact that the suspect's story contains inconsistencies that you must break through.

Closing Arguments will function mainly the same besides the two new editions and will also contain CG or comic book images which will be written along with the main text in parenthesis. And that's all that I need to cover for now so talk to you next time something needs to be explained.

"Alright, you all got your listening holes ready? Then here's what happened," said the imposter Junko. "It all began on the day we were first captured. We were all knocked out and kidnapped by Ultimate Despair and then placed in classroom 5-C to await the start of the Killing School Life." (Act #1 – All twenty-eight of the students involved in the Killing School Life are shown unconscious inside classroom 5-C.) "When we woke up we were greeted by Monokuma who explained the situation and the rules of the game to us. At first we were like you guys and wouldn't believe our situation no matter how hopeless it may have seemed, and we tried several means of breaking out of the classroom, all of which proved to be fruitless. I was the only one besides Junko who knew the truth about this so call mutual killing game, and I was mainly picked to participate in the game because Junko felt that she could use my abilities to her advantage. Which is why she had me take the place of Chiaki Nanami at the very start, leaving the other students blissfully unaware that any change had taken place." (Monokuma is shown explaining the rules to the students and planting the murder weapons to be used in the classroom massacre. Chiaki Nanami, or rather the Ultimate Imposter pretending to be her, is shown being in a worried manner or at least pretending to be in one. And the real Junko Enoshima is shown smiling and waving her hand at the imposter Chiaki. This proves that they were indeed in league together.) "From the very beginning things were set to go just as Junko had planned them to."

"When the despair of our situation finally began to sank in the realization that we could not escape classroom 5-C unless eight of us died proved to be our only option at survival. The only question was who would be the eight people to be sacrificed? And as you know, the victims were Peko Pekoyama, Mondo Owada, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Gundham Tanaka, Leon Kuwata, Hifumi Yamada, Sonia Nevermind, and Akane Owari." (Act #2- Eight separate panels show the events that befell the eight sacrificed in classroom 5-C. In the first panel, Peko commits harakiri with her sword. In the second and third panel, Taka and Mondo are shown bashing each other's heads in with a pickaxe and a hammer. In the fourth panel, Gundham blows his brains out using the revolver. In the fifth panel, Leon bashes his head in with the aluminum bat. In the sixth panel, Hifumi takes the cyanide tablets and dies like a coward. In the seventh panel, Sonia slits her wrists with the box cutter while tears are pouring out of her eyes. And in the eighth panel, Akane jabs the ice pick into her carotid artery.) "Then after that the rest of us got to leave classroom 5-C, and were faced with the even more depressing fact that the others sacrifices ended up being worthless as we were still locked in the academy. Thus began our despairful days of being imprisoned inside the academy, but no matter what we all managed to stay hopeful that one day we would find a way out. At least until Monokuma brought out the first motive for murder. We all found out that our loved ones had been taken captive by Ultimate Despair and would only be returned to us if we managed to escape. However, Monokuma also gave us the option of using the point system which would allow our loved ones to be set free if we could get the amount of points required." (The other students who managed to escape classroom 5-C learn that there is no escape from the academy and come face to face with the impenetrable, safe-like entrance hall. Monokuma informs the students of their loved ones' capture using videotapes showing them being forcefully kidnapped.)

"Makoto ended up becoming our makeshift leader and tried to convince us that as long as we kept our heads up and held onto the hope that one day things would go back to normal. And for a little while his meaningless words of encouragement worked…that was until Sayaka Maizono ended up stabbing herself to death. (Act #3- Makoto is shown rallying the other survivors and giving them the hope that one day they will escape this nightmare. Then later Makoto is the first to find Sayaka's dead body in her bathroom.) "After that we began to learn the true morality of our situation. Sayaka wanted to save her friends more than anything else in the world but she didn't want to kill one of us in order to do it, so she chose the latter way out and relied on the point system to help her. Unfortunately, it meant she had to sacrifice herself to do it. But that wasn't the end of the needless death, no it was only the beginning. After Sayaka took her own life, the others followed in suit…one by one, until finally all that remained was Hajime and me." (Sayaka's picture is placed upon an altar made by Hiyoko along with portraits of the other eight people who sacrificed themselves so the other students could survive. Then the other students are shown committing suicide in a similar panel by panel fashion to Act #1. Finally, the only two people who are left in the game are Hajime and Chiaki.) "It was around that time that I revealed to Hajime who I was and why I was sent here. He already knew the truth about Junko but what he didn't know was that she was still controlling me from beyond the grave. So I decided to confide in him that I was also a member of Ultimate Despair and that I was also not the real Chiaki Nanami. For you see, the real Chiaki was killed a short while before the plan even began, and I had taken her place just as Junko had asked of me. As you could imagine he was utterly appalled, and that was when he let me have it."

(Act #4- A flashback is shown of Mahiru telling Hajime that she saw Chiaki/the Ultimate Imposter dressing up as Byakuya and even managed to get a picture of him. Hajime insists that such a thing can't be true and decides to turn a blind eye away from Mahiru's evidence. A few days later she is show dead in the art room along with Hiyoko.) "Turns out that just before Mahiru went and kicked the bucket she being the sneaky little minx that she was took a picture of me as big, bloated Byakuya without me even realizing it. And apparently the little minx even tried to get Hajime to confront me and get him to see me for what I really was. Hajime, being as stupid as always chose to ignore it which we all know ended up biting him in the ass. I was worried for a while there that my cover had been blown but a few days later Mahiru and that annoying brat Hiyoko wound up dead so that buried anything she uncovered about me along with her." (Hajime is shown bursting into Chiaki/the Ultimate Imposter's room and uncovering the assortment of wigs and outfits that the Ultimate Imposter kept on hand, as well as the many photos of students and designs for disguises based upon them that were pinned up to the back of the Ultimate Imposter's closet. Hajime then confronts the Ultimate Imposter and they begin to tell him that they might slowly be losing it. The Ultimate Imposter informs Hajime that each time they touch something that belonged to another student they automatically turn into that student, in the past they used to be able to control their split identity but it seems that the pressure of the mutual killing game proved to be too much for the Ultimate Imposter's fragile personality. The Ultimate Imposter then presents Hajime with the survival knife of Mukuro's that was also used in Fuyuhiko's suicide and explains that if the knife is kept in their possession they will be likely to use it to turn into Junko.)

"Hajime was pissed! Learning the truth that the person he thought was his little gamer nerd girlfriend all this time was just some creep who liked to cross dress was too much for the guy to handle. Heh, at that moment I was actually afraid he was going to kill me out of sheer hatred. But I managed to convince him that I needed his help to get rid of the Junko personality or she would end up killing us both. So I asked him to hide the knife in a location only known to him, that way I wouldn't find it and be tempted to use it to call out Junko. And after a lot of coaxing he agreed to get rid of the knife, on the condition that I would leave him alone for whatever little time we had left here before we inevitably died. At that point I knew that Hajime had lost all hope. (Hajime is shown hiding the knife in the wooden box and then burying the box in the botanical garden where the Ultimate Imposter would be unable to find it and unleash their Junko persona. However, the Ultimate Imposter is shown in the next panel peeking on Hajime's hiding spot.) "But what he didn't know was that at that point, so did I."

"It was a little while before things got hectic again, but after living with hearing Junko's pleading voice in my ears 24/7 I gave in and went after the knife. I knew what Junko wanted to do, she wanted to end it all. She was blood thirsty and the only thing I could do to quell her was to offer her a sacrifice. So I sent Hajime a little get together note that lured him out in the open." (Act #6- the Ultimate Imposter is shown digging up the knife and giving into its dark power. As they hold it the shadow of Junko appears behind them and digs her claws into the Ultimate Imposter's shoulders, signifying how deep of a mental grasp that Junko had on the Ultimate Imposter. Later, the Ultimate Imposter is shown giving slipping a note under Hajime's door, telling him to meet them at classroom 5-C at 1:00 AM. And against his better judgement, Hajime reluctantly agrees to go. Then at 1:00 AM, Hajime is the first to appear at classroom 5-C. But soon enough he turns around to see the Ultimate Imposter holding the survival knife and glaring menacingly at him.)

"Of course Junko didn't want to kill him, only make him suffer a little so she could feast off of his despair. But the other personalities inside my head had banded together and decided to use this as an opportunity to get the Junko personality executed by forcing me into a situation where I had to kill. But that didn't stop Junko from being sneaky about it, she had me dress up in Makoto's clothes beforehand as well as prepare several different items from the others which would late be used as the case's red herrings. What I didn't count on was how tough Hajime would be take down. You know what they say, an animal's most dangerous when they're cornered. So a struggle ensued in which I got a nasty cut from Hajime trying to pry the knife out of my hands, but after sustaining some minor head trauma Hajime began to see things my way." (The Ultimate Imposter is shown wearing Makoto's clothes as to throw suspicion on to him. Hajime is quick to react and a struggle ensues for the knife, causing the Ultimate Imposter to get a cut on their palm and Hajime to be knocked against one of the iron window plates and become subdued. Which gives the Ultimate Imposter the chance to stab Hajime repeatedly with the survival knife. The last panel shows Hajime dead on the floor of classroom 5-C.) "After that Junko got to work setting up the red herrings. Wiping the fingerprints off the knife with the use of Celeste's handkerchief and then tossing it into the waste basket to cast suspicion onto her. Planting one of Kyoko's gloves on Hajime and planting the other glove and the knife in the biology lab. Planting Gundham's Hell Hound Earring in a nearby corner as to cast suspicion onto him. Moving Hiyoko's funeral altar and Mahiru's portraits to the rec room in an effort to deflect its importance. Burying one of Gundham's hamsters in the same box the knife was buried in as to get the students investigating the murder to stay away from the box and further Gundham's suspicion. And finally by hiding the blood-soaked clothes of Makoto in his room which would be the likeliest place to find them, and thus damning Makoto in the process to make him look like the killer.) "And even with the hindrance of the other personalities in their efforts to show you the truth I still managed to keep things in check and get you guys to waste loads of time in fingering the other suspects, because Junko knew that the longer the class trial dragged the more secrets would be revealed and the more despair you guys would inevitably feel. And that's the whole story."

* * *

END OF SUPSECT'S ARGUMENT

* * *

"Well anyone have any more questions or can we get this show on the road?" the imposter Junko asked in a giddy tone. "I can't wait to be punished! And to make matters even better I'm taking twenty-seven others with me! Even if I'm definitely not going to the same place as them at least we'll all be together in the end!" Her eyes grew heavy with despair. "I get to have the privilege of bearing witness to them dying off all over again! And I get a front row seat for the performance this time! It's going to be absolutely fabulous!" she exclaimed as a deep blush ran across her face.

"Jeez, dude how screwed up in the head do you have to be?" Nate asked to no one in particular.

"It's as if there very essence has become entirely that of Junko Enoshima," said Micho in a serious tone.

"She's scaring me a little," Beigoma said as twiddled her fingers in nervousness.

"I won't even hold it against you for being scared of her. She creeps me right the fuck out too," Nodaka said bluntly.

"So it appears that this whole charade has been the work of several varying personalities which were conspiring to kill the dominant personality and regain control of the Ultimate Imposter's mind. But since of course the dominant in this situation is Junko Enoshima, it appears that the only way the other personalities could be rid of her was to kill themselves off as well. At this very moment, twenty-eight people are battling it out in the head of our mysterious friend over there. The twenty-seven personalities of the other students and their own personality respectively," Jose explained.

"I'm surprised this guy hasn't broken his mind yet," said Jonathan. "That many people inside their head and they are still somewhat coherent enough to tell the differences between their true self and the other personalities. Ya, you're a neurologist have you ever seen anything this disturbing before?"

"Never anything like this, no," Yasuke replied. "But I can tell you one thing, having that many different varying personalities inside one person's head is bound to be disruptive to normal brain function. If all of this really is true than I find it a miracle that the Ultimate Imposter can even talk in complete sentences much less act out different characters and share their thoughts and feelings."

"I kind of lost track of what was going on around the time that Akasaka-senpai and the imposter Ludenberg-senpai had that steamy kiss," Aya said in a perverted way.

Keiko blushed. "You don't have to say it quite like that." Then she twiddled her fingers. "It was rather enjoyable though."

"Please don't make us remember that," Shiro pleaded.

"Qui, keep your vulgar thoughts and desires to yourself. No one wants to hear them, no?" Connie added in a demeaning tone.

"Jeez, what crawled up your butt and died?" Keiko replied to Connie, while giving her a nasty scowl.

"The fact of the matter is that we have to be sure that all our ducks are in a row before we vote," Deva said in a wise tone. "Now that we've heard everything straight from the whor…I mean horse's mouth we should probably make sure everything checks out with what we already know."

"The Ultimate Imposter who had been a student of Hope's Peak Academy for quite some time assumed the role of Chiaki Nanami sometime before the mutual killing game began," said Sawa.

"Which is odd in itself, I don't seem to recall a Chiaki Nanami ever being in our class. Nor do I recall Hajime Hinata for that matter. They were both supposed to be in the 77th class correct?" Nagito asked.

"Maybe you just overlooked them, I'm in the 77th class too and I've never seen you for that matter Komaeda," said Yasuke.

"You might be right. I've seen that I have a talent for overlooking things when it came to that imposter Mikan-chan. Maybe I don't know people as well as I thought I did. Maybe I was just being oblivious when I said that it takes a monster to know a monster. For all I know Mikan-chan may have been even worse than I thought, and what does that say about me for that matter?" Nagito sighed to himself. "Should I, or shouldn't I?" he said to himself.

"Moving on, the twenty of us were abducted by Ultimate Despair as the first phase of their Despairification of Humanity Project, which allowed them to force the academy to close and gain a location for their mutual killing game, the Killing School Life," Micho explained. "No one other than Ikusaba-chan has any memories of that seven year gap in our time because she's an ex-member of Ultimate Despair."

"Didn't you hear what the madman said a little while ago?" Izuru asked. "Besides Ikusaba-chan, apparently several of us were also in league with Ultimate Despair before we had our memories erased. And to make matters worse one of us wasn't even abducted like the rest of us and was simply planted to be a spy for Ultimate Despair," he explained.

"Those theories have yet to be proven true," Micho replied in a stern manner. "If we were indeed brainwashed by Ultimate Despair during our abduction period then I fail to see the point of erasing our memories to begin with, and the same goes for if we were members beforehand. Why erase our memories if we were already in league with them? Wouldn't that just erase our brainwashing too? And the theory about the spy is even more ludicrous, what would be the point of spying on us if the spy had their memories erased as well and couldn't even remember that they were planted by Ultimate Despair in the first place," Micho explained. "It's just nonsense wrapped up in an enigma or two and served with a side order of lies. There is no proof that any of those ramblings of that psychopath were true, therefore I refuse to believe in them. No matter what you say, I will not doubt my friends. Now as far as I'm concerned you're either with us or against us Kamukura-kun, so if you are going to be with us you're going to have to act like a team player and trust us."

Izuru folded his arms in defiance. "What's the point? Any trust that you have right now Ultimate Despair will break without mercy. They will not stop onto you are on your knees and groveling and begging them for death. Those are the kind of monsters you're up against, and to even try to fight them is ludicrous. I just don't see the point. It's eluded me completely ever since I was reborn. I understand that humans are weak-natured beasts by design and that they group and work together like common ants in order to survive. But I just don't see the point of this thing you call trust. It's absurd. Why would you willingly put your life into another person's hands when the laws of nature dictate that survival of the fittest is the only way that the world evolves? In this situation even more so. Why? Why do you people honestly think that even by working together you stand a chance against a force of nature itself? Why do you even try to avoid the boring doomsday that is set to occur when I myself, the person who wants to prevent that outcome at all costs, have given up and let come what may? I don't understand your logic. You're going to play a game in which it's every man for himself by design and yet you're going to choose not to play and prove that no matter what happens you will not kill each other? It's impossible people. I have said it myself. The mutual killing will happen whether you want it to or not, and the only true way you can beat Ultimate Despair is by doing what I'm doing and not care one way or the other. In this game, trusting each other is not an option. It's illogical to a fault." Izuru shook his head in frustration. "Can't anyone please tell me why one person would willingly risk their life for another?"

We all stared at Izuru not with confusion, of pessimism, or even anger. We stared at him with pity. We pitied him because we realized at that point that whatever horrible things Hope's Peak Academy had done to him had left him so empty and broken that he had forgotten something so important that you couldn't call yourself a person without. He had forgotten more than just emotions. He had forgotten something that shouldn't even have to be taught to be understood. At that moment we understood that no matter what we did or said that Izuru would never understand. Hope's Peak Academy had taken away more than his personality and identity; they had taken away his humanity.

But, that didn't mean that I was going to stop trying. I made up my mind from that point on that I would make Izuru understand why we as human beings would do the things that Izuru thought as illogical. I would make him see that the only way you can truly live is by trusting in others and believing that no matter what they will be there for you and help you through the darkest of days. I vowed to myself that I would do whatever it took to get Izuru to see the light. I would become the friend that he could count on to help him through the tough times ahead of us. I just had to make him see that a future worth hoping for was possible. And then it just seemed to almost appear out of thin air. Before I knew it, words started pouring out of my mouth. I didn't need to think about what I should say, I knew what I had to say.

"Because, that's what being friends is all about," I replied in a kind and welcoming tone. "Kamuku…no you know what? There really is no need to use last names when you're talking to a friend. Izuru, what happened to you wasn't right. I can't imagine what kind of horrors you had to endure all alone. You were in the dark so long that you probably just figured that all humans were just like those horrible scientists. But you're wrong, you're wrong on so many levels. Human beings do have an unlimited source of untapped potential, but the true way to harness it isn't what those heartless bastards did to you. They should rot in hell for all eternity for what they did to you. It's something that can never be forgiven…not by me at least. Just knowing the horrors of this school even before Ultimate Despair's takeover, it makes me want to vomit. I've wanted to go here since I was a little kid, I admired this place so much for all it stood for. And in a matter of hours I've discovered that all I ever admired was a lie, a lie that the bastards who ran this place fed to the outside world so we would never know what they were really doing. And it makes me sick knowing the truth after all this time has passed. I hate myself for ever wanting to come to this horrible, horrible school. And I hate them for what they did to you." I started to tear up. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Izuru. All I ever wanted was to be a talented person like you and now all I can do is pity you. It's not fair, it's not and for that I am so sorry. Here I am, trying to find out who I really am and as for you, your real identity was stolen from you. I'm sorry for what's been done to you. I'm sorry that it may be permanent for you. But most of all I'm sorry that you had to go through all that pain and suffering alone." I was starting to bawl like a baby.

"And that's why I want to be your friend, Izuru!" I exclaimed. "I want to be there for you like someone should have been all along! You are not a monster Izuru, you are human! They made you what you are, but you're not what they said you are! You don't have to be a god if you don't want to be! You can just be you! You've already said that they considered you a failure because you consider everything boring after a few minutes of discovering it! Well I say that's just your quirky personality! And that's why you belong with us! You are one of us! You are our friend whether you like it or not!" I put my hand over my heart. "I want you to be here! I want you to stand by my side as we show Ultimate Despair that we are not just going to sit back and take their bullshit! Me and you, Izuru! We'll take them down as a team, so that's why I'm asking you to believe in me! Believe in us! Believe that we can make a difference!" I noticed that the others were starting to tear up as well. "Trust in me! Trust in us! We will not let you down, I swear it!"

After a few moments of silence, I saw something incredible. A single tear rolled down Izuru's cheek. He was actually crying. He was crying just like the rest of us. When he noticed he was crying he gently picked up one of his falling tears with his index finger and brought it closer to his to examine it. "Tears? But how?" he asked himself. He said it himself, he could never feel sadness, happiness, anger, or any emotion of any kind. Yet there he was, tears streaming down his face. It was a miracle. After a few more moments he smiled and closed his eyes. "I see, so this is how it really feels. Hope. It's actually rather pleasant." Then he opened his eyes and smiled at me. "Okay, I'll do it Mai…no, Akira. I'll believe in you and the others. If you guys really can do it than I guess, I have nothing to fear. I'll tell you everything, every lie, every secret, everything. All I ask in return is that you crush Ultimate Despair, and in return I'll help in any way I can."

"I promise," I replied.

Izuru took a deep breath and nodded in reply. "Okay then, here it is. The truth is I'm just like Mukuro, I remember everything and I'm also a member of Ultimate Despair." And if that weren't shocking enough what he said next really threw us through a loop. He pointed at the imposter Junko. "And _she_ has been lying to you from the beginning. Notice I said _she_ , not _they_. Well that's because I happen to know who this person really is."

"You know the Ultimate Imposter's true identity?" I asked.

" _His_ name is Ryota Mitarai," Izuru replied.

"Wait, but I thought you just said that the Ultimate Imposter is a girl?" Nodaka asked.

"No, I said _she's_ a girl," Izuru pointed at the imposter Junko again.

The imposter Junko blinked twice as if to say she had no idea what was going on.

"Wait, Kamukura-kun are you saying…?!" Micho's eyes widened.

"That's correct counselor, this person is not the real Ultimate Imposter," Izuru said with a smile.

We all gasped, including the imposter Junko and Monokuma.

"So if she's not the Ultimate Imposter then who the hell is she dude?!" Nate exclaimed.

"Take a wild guess," Izuru replied.

The imposter Junko giggled. "Oopsie, looks like the cat's out of the bag, eh?"

* * *

A/N: Psych, ha I got you guys good! Did you really think I wouldn't leave an amazing revelation like that as a cliffhanger? Well actually the truth is that I sort of got sidetracked getting ready for college so I've only been able to right the finale this far so far. This was originally meant to be introduced as one huge chapter but with the semester taking off and considering how much time I've already invested in this chapter I figured it was good to give you guys a taste of what you have been waiting for. I swear to you the next chapter is it! I ultra, double, super, mega pinky swear on it!

In other news, I appreciate you guys' patience. I don't deserve fans like you considering how erratic I am with my posts. But I promise I'm going to try harder and get at least one chapter a week done from now on because I've set a new goal for myself. I'm planning to have this story done by the time Danganronpa V3 comes out so I can have some mashup with that. As you guys may have noticed there were some details included in this chapter that were winks to the Danganronpa 3 anime airing right now so I want to be as close to the actual cannon as possible. But please do note that this is going in my own twisted direction, and trust me that the things I have in store will make you think that this is a game worthy of the name Danganronpa. Till next time, Maestro Infinite signing off.


	20. Chapter 1, Part 4

A/N: Before anyone gets any ideas, I'm not B.S.'ing you this time. This is really the end of the class trial, you don't believe me scroll all the way down and you'll see for yourself. The big words TO BE CONTINUED mark the period after the execution so it's all here. The killer will at last be punished for their crimes, and once again I'm sorry it took so long to get this far, I'm going to try to do better from now on. I should have the next two chapters up very soon. They're both pretty short in length so I think I'm just going to double post them but for now I hope you guys enjoy this finale. I've worked really hard on this one. Literally, my blood, sweat, and tears are laced in every word. And sorry once again in advance for typos and grammatical errors. After 40,000 words you sort of lose track of them so if there are any I missed please message me their location and I'll have them fixed immediately.

And before I forget here's the current status of the free-time event poll:

Beigoma Kiyoshi – 5 votes

Azami Jagaimo – 5 votes

Jose Historia – 4 votes

Nodaka Hoshi – 4 votes

Sawa Nanase – 2 votes

Keiko Akasaka – 2 votes

Aya Kisaragi – 2 votes

Izuru Kamukura – 2 votes

Chihiro Fujisaki – 2 votes

Soshun Murasame – 1 vote

Jonathan Junmaru – 1 vote

Nate Baron – 1 vote

Yasuke Matsuda – 1 vote

Mukuro Ikusaba – 1 vote

Nagito Komaeda – 0 votes

Micho Auruka – 0 votes

Connie Takemi – 0 votes

Shiro Shirobane – 0 votes

Cam Yano – 0 votes

If possible I'd like there not to be a tie as I'll have to decide who gets to go first but I guess if it comes down to it in the end it's not really a big deal. Anyway, let's get on with the story. I think you guys will really be pleased.

 **Warning:** This chapter is really graphic and dirty at some points. I mean it, I went towards the edge with this so feel free to skip over things that you don't feel comfortable reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 4: Back from the dead, bitches!**

* * *

Izuru took a deep breath and nodded in reply. "Okay then, here it is. The truth is I'm just like Mukuro, I remember everything and I'm also a member of Ultimate Despair." And if that weren't shocking enough what he said next really threw us through a loop. He pointed at the imposter Junko. "And _she_ has been lying to you from the beginning. Notice I said _she_ , not _they_. Well that's because I happen to know who this person really is."

"You know the Ultimate Imposter's true identity?" I asked.

" _His_ name is Ryota Mitarai," Izuru replied.

"Wait, but I thought you just said that the Ultimate Imposter is a girl?" Nodaka asked.

"No, I said _she's_ a girl," Izuru pointed at the imposter Junko again.

The imposter Junko blinked twice as if to say she had no idea what was going on.

"Wait, Kamukura-kun are you saying…?!" Micho's eyes widened.

"That's correct Counselor, this person is not the real Ultimate Imposter," Izuru said with a smile.

We all gasped, including the imposter Junko and Monokuma.

"So if she's not the Ultimate Imposter then who the hell is she dude?!" Nate exclaimed.

"Take a wild guess," Izuru replied.

The imposter Junko giggled. "Oopsie, looks like the cat's out of the bag, eh?"

Mukuro's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "No way! That's impossible!" It seems that she had realized the truth at last.

"You've gotta be kidding me?! Are you freaking serious?!" Yasuke shouted at no one in particular.

'What's going on?! The Ultimate Imposter is male?! That's not what we profiled! She's supposed to be a girl! Everything that we've found out fits the image of a girl! And now according to Izuru he's male?! That can't be true!' I looked at Izuru to see if I had been misinformed. And judging by the shake of his head that he gave me it was safe to assume that he wasn't lying. He was positive, the Ultimate Imposter, whose name was apparently Ryota Mitarai, was in fact a boy. And it stood to fact that Izuru had to be telling the truth because he just flat out admitted he was in league with Ultimate Despair. He wouldn't do such a thing unless he was getting us to trust him completely. 'But what does that mean then?!' I thought back to the photos and sketches that I had seen in the Ultimate Imposter's room, including the one featuring Sato Amari and the girl I assumed was the Ultimate Imposter. 'Does that mean every word that this person has been saying since the very beginning has been a lie? If that's the case, then…' I thought back to the many twisted personalities that we had seen the person who we assumed was the Ultimate Imposter change into. 'Then it was all an act, right from the start. Hajime, the DID, all of it. All of it was just an act designed to confuse us and make us form theories that had no true bearing.'

Then another thought occurred to me. 'And if that's the case, we might not be able to trust any of the things we've figured out since the very beginning of this class trial.'

"I can see by the looks on your faces that you're all confused at the sudden information. But let me state for the record that this is me trying to help you. I'm trusting you guys to help me put a stop to their plans, that is why I'm revealing myself to you now," Izuru explained. "I know from the very moment we met that I have not been considered the friendliest or the most cooperative of individuals but I need you to believe me when I say that I'm ready to work together now. I want to help you guys fight Ultimate Despair. I want to try and find that interesting ending on my own, instead of just waiting for the boring end down the road to come and kill us off. So this is what I offer you as a sign of my trust, all the information I, as second operative in command of this mission, have to tell."

"Operative? Mission? What the hell are you going on about dude?" Nate asked.

"I'm the second member of Ultimate Despair who is here to see through to the completion of this mission. The mission entitled the Killing Despairadise," Izuru replied. "You see of all the lies she was telling you all this time, one of the few truths she let slip was the existence of several members of Ultimate Despair amongst our ragtag group of misfits."

"So there really are members of Ultimate Despair amongst us?" Micho asked in a state of worry.

"Besides me, two that I know of," Izuru replied. "The second Despair Sister, Mukuro Ikusaba, who was not allowed to have access to this information to begin with. And the third operative in charge of this mission, who was meant to serve as a moderator amongst the group along with me. Any others, I'm afraid to say I don't know. I and the other moderator were taken to a separate location from the rest of you guys, and during that seven-year gap Ultimate Despair could have indeed brainwashed you into joining them. But I'm afraid Counselor when you said that it didn't make any sense for Ultimate Despair to erase our memories if we were already brainwashed that is not entirely the truth. Though your memories of the torture and brainwashing process might've been erased, the crucial components to their brainwashing still lie dormant inside your bodies."

"What do you mean exactly?" Jose asked.

"The way Ultimate Despair's brainwashing works is that they tap into the dormant almost devolved labyrinths in your mind that deal with animalistic instinct, which in turn dopes the pleasure centers of the brain into getting a thrill out of carnage and blood lust. Though your memories have been erased your minds have been permanently altered by the effects of the brainwashing so there's no telling what might happen to you guys in the future. But like I said before, that's _if_ you guys really were brainwashed. That might've also been a lie, it's really hard to tell with that troublesome woman," Izuru explained.

"So you're part of Ultimate Despair too Kamukura-san?" Sawa asked. "And you kept your memories too just like Ikusaba-san?"

"Be wary of him, he might be lying too," said Mukuro. "I don't recall ever hearing about him joining our ranks, and someone as interesting as him would've definitely been the target of Junko's obsession."

Izuru sighed. "You have no idea, she treated me like I was her pet from the very moment she met me. The other moderator and I were favorites of Junko; by which I of course mean her favorite pets. She wouldn't let anyone else lay their hands on us and wanted to keep us all to herself. That's probably why you've never heard of me. What you didn't think you were the only one that Junko liked to torment every chance she got did you?" Izuru asked.

"No, it's just a little hard to believe that Junko would keep you hidden like that," said Mukuro.

"The condition to keep me hidden was part of an agreement we made a long time ago, concerning some dark business which I don't really want to go into at this point in time. Anyway, Junko chose to put me and the other moderator into this new mutual killing game as a little experiment," Izuru explained.

"Experiment? What did she want you to do?" I asked.

"Our mission was very clear, guide the other students through the first murder mystery and let them build up their trust with one another, all the while being sure to keep just outside their realm of trust as to not alert suspicion. Then when the Killing Despairadise officially begins test the students' trust in each other through some extreme methods, including the incitation of murder," Izuru explained. "The point of this experiment was really just to see how long it would take before you became paranoid and tore each other part from the inside out. We were simply chosen to serve as catalysts for the experiment."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me?! That bitch Jun was going to use us just for some fucked up experiment?!" Jonathan exclaimed in outrage.

"Damn her! Damn that she demon to hell!" Deva shouted in equal rage.

"That's Junko for you, the woman disgusts me to no end but at least she's clear about what her source of entertainment is," said Izuru. "You already know the point of this experiment though, right?"

"To show that despair can crush any sort of hope we have," I replied.

"Correct, for the previous mutual killing game Junko made the mistake of picking out the students to compete who had already grown attached to each other through their time at Hope's Peak Academy. So in a way because most of them were such a tight nit group it spared them the despair of kill or be killed. They didn't wish to murder a friend so instead chose to kill themselves, it was very poetic. However, this didn't excite Junko and she vowed that for the next mutual killing game she would do better. So this time she erased the student's memories in an effect to see if bonds really were the key difference between hope and despair. Junko originally thought about erasing the students' minds so they would think it was the first day of school all over again and fight to escape capture by getting rid of the competition, a true academic coliseum. After all, killing a stranger you just met would be easier than killing a beloved friend don't you think? Which is why that plan was rejected under the assumption that things would heat up two quickly and there wouldn't be nearly enough trust amongst the students for them to truly experience the despair of being betrayed. So Junko came up with this plan, erase the student's memories but give them an event in which they can form trust with each other before putting them in a mutual killing game. A healthy balance of hope and despair," Izuru explained.

"So the murder of Hinata-kun was part of Ultimate Despair's plan the whole time? This is the event to get us to trust each other, right?" I asked.

"Not necessarily Hinata-kun," Izuru replied. "It could've been anyone, but as luck would have it Hinata-kun became the scape goat simply because besides the killer, he was the only person left."

"As the Ultimate Lucky Student I think it's my duty to inform the viewers that Hajime-kun had some pretty bad luck on that end. Bad luck that rivaled my own if I do say so myself," Nagito said up to the video cameras.

"Quit talking to the audience," Cam said. "You're breaking the fourth wall, you know."

"Okay, I think I get it. I just have one more question," I said. "You said you were the second operative in charge of the Killing Despairadise, right? Who's the first?"

"The Mastermind of course," Izuru replied.

"Jeez, spoil all the fun why don't you?" Monokuma replied. "Nobody likes spoilers you know. In a perfect world all spoilers would have their heads explode just as they were about to reveal something important."

"Not important enough for my head to blow up then, eh? Okay how's this?" Izuru taunted Monokuma. "There's actually three operatives of Ultimate Despair in charge of the Killing Despairadise. The Mastermind, and the two moderators. I already said I was one of the moderators, and you know the Mastermind, so what does that tell you about the third man?"

"The second moderator is also one of us, right?" I asked.

"Bravo, gold star for my good buddy Akira," Izuru replied in an almost demeaning way. But it seemed like he was at least trying to be nice. "So let me ask you this? Who's the second moderator? Judging by everything that's happened so far you should have a pretty good idea, right?"

"Come on can't you just tell us?" Shiro asked.

"Now, now, this is still a game. You can't be given all of the answers, you have to figure out some things on your own, right?" Izuru's logic was still kind of twisted though.

'Who's the second moderator? Thinking about everything that's happened so far I can only think of one person that fits the role,' I thought to myself.

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

Once again, I looked over my classmate's faces and then finally my eyes landed on the face of the second moderator. The only person I could think of that met the criteria Izuru described, and had also been a big part in this investigation was that one person. Nagito Komaeda. "You're the only one!" I shouted as I pointed to Nagito.

"The other moderator, it's Komaeda-kun isn't it?" I asked.

Nagito crossed his arms and gave me his usual care-free smile. "Come now Akira-kun, you can drop the formalities. You're calling Izuru by his first name now so you might as well do the same to me. After all, I assume the same thing applies to me, correct? You don't know if you can trust me but for some reason you still want to be friends with trash like me, correct?"

"Fine then, Nagito it is you isn't it?" I asked.

Nagito chuckled. "I have no reason to lie to you now, do I? Why would I conceal myself all this time if I thought of us friends from the very beginning? I'm not a twisted cynic like Izuru-kun, I'm very open about all of my beliefs, no matter how ridiculous or even downright crazy them may seem. I praise hope, I give my whole life over to that one ideology. And don't you think it's kind of strange for someone who praises hope to be a member of Ultimate Despair?"

"Stop answering questions with questions, dog boy," said Nodaka. "Tell us the truth are you a member of Ultimate Despair, yes or no?"

"And if you are a member it's fine, we just want to know for sure. It's not like we're going to hold it against you or anything, knowing Junko she probably forced you into it," I said.

"Oh no, Junko-chan never forced me to do anything I didn't want to do. As a matter of fact, unlike many of the other members I joined without hesitation. As soon as she offered me a position in her army I accepted graciously," Nagito replied.

"You're kidding, right? I get Kamukura-kun and Ikusaba-chan because Enoshima-chan was holding something over their heads in exchange for their cooperation, but you joined without hesitation?" Micho asked in confusion.

"What? That can't be right. This whole time you've been mouthing off about hope, why suddenly switch sides?" Nate asked.

"My reason for joining is actually very simple," Nagito replied. "I joined Ultimate Despair so I could see to its destruction. You see, I truly believe that hope will conquer and destroy any despair if given enough time to grow. But for the greatest hope of all to be realized, the Ultimate Hope, it takes much more than just the endless belief that good will triumph over evil in the end. To help hope grow and flourish so it can one day truly become worthy of the title of Ultimate, that is my goal."

"So you really are Kamukura's lackey, eh dog boy?" Nodaka asked.

"No you don't understand, someone like Izuru-kun is unworthy of the title Ultimate Hope. I have thought this way from the very moment I met him. To think the universe would allow someone like him, a person who sees the world as boring and a waste of his time, to be called Ultimate Hope is a grave outrage. In my eyes the Ultimate Hope is the messiah of the future, and that does not describe Izuru-kun at all. Which is why I have come to the conclusion that the final battle between hope and despair is not meant to happen just yet. The true Ultimate Hope has yet to be born, the only reason I'm sticking with Ultimate Despair is so I can witness their awakening and assist them in any way I can in their destiny to destroy despair once and for all. This is my one and only true mission in life, so you could just say I'm using Junko-chan and the other Despairs as a means to an end. I would never truly ally myself with people who praise despair after all. The only side I'm on, is the side of hope." Nagito explained his objectives as a member of Ultimate Despair in his usual philosophical, nonsensical ramblings.

"I get it, you're jealous that I got the title you wanted, I'm sick of hearing about it," Izuru replied.

Nagito chuckled. "Me, the Ultimate Hope? That's even more ridiculous than you having the title. Trash like me is only fit to serve as the vassal of hope, not it's master. I'm still waiting for the true embodiment of hope to appear, and when that day comes I shall see to the destruction of this false Ultimate Hope and let the true hope rise to their rightful place as ruler of the world!"

"You should know he's threatened to kill me at least a thousand times since the day we met. The only reason Junko kept him around is because he's like a male version of her and she sees him as an interesting pet," Izuru explained. "Komaeda-kun and I are like night and day, we both represent hope but our actions say otherwise. We are both the opposite and the same as one another. Despair and Hope, crudely fused together, that is us the Seeds of Hope."

"And our mission as such is to create a despairful event which will bring out the true hope that resides in each and every one of you. Because both I and Junko-chan believe that the purest hope can only be born out of despair. In other words, the more horrible the event we put you through the greater your hopes will shine!" Nagito exclaimed in excitement.

"But as I've said before, I am choosing to ally with the rest of you now. Since I've exposed the puppeteers behind Junko's new game there's no reason she would ever find it in her heart to take me back. Ultimate Despair's retaliation in the future for my betrayal may be brutal but if Ikusaba-chan is willing to become a martyr to crush Ultimate Despair then I suppose I have no choice but to follow suit. And now all that remains is to get the remaining moderator on board." Izuru turned to Nagito. "Well Komaeda-kun? You said that you wanted to help them from the beginning right? Well I say we stop playing games and actually start to help them. You know as well as I do the truth of this murder, but I can't lift a finger unless you cooperate as well since you're still hiding something."

Nagito chuckled again. "Figured it out, eh? Should've known. I can never keep anything past you. Yes, that's correct. I have the last remaining piece of the puzzle; I've had it all along."

"I'm not even surprised anymore, whatever it is just hand it over," said Yasuke.

"Now hold on a second, I didn't say that I was going to cooperate yet," Nagito replied.

"Oh come on?! Why does he always have to be so damn difficult?! He's hiding it in his coat, right?! Just rip it off of him and take whatever he's hiding by force!" Nodaka shouted.

Nagito waved his hands in a sign of surrender. "Now, now, now. Let's not be hasty, I didn't say that I wouldn't eventually cooperate, did I? No, I have every intention of cooperating for the following reasons. One, I'll finally be able to rid myself of the horrible name of Ultimate Despair. Two, this will really make you know who unhappy, and I find that hilarious. And three, one of you may very well be the true Ultimate Hope that I've been waiting for, so by all means as your vassal I must help you in any way I can. But, I do have a condition for my cooperation. Feel free to ignore it, I don't really care…as long as you don't care if this evidence ends up catching fire as well. Speaking of which, hey audience remember that movie? To you it might've been recent but keep in mind it's 2022," he said in a demeaning way as he wagged his finger at one of video cameras.

"Hey I thought I said no more fourth wall breaking!" Cam exclaimed. "People think you're screwy enough as it is you know!"

"I happen to think characters who can break the fourth wall freely are very interesting," Nagito replied. "Take Deadpool for example, wasn't his movie just the best?" Nagito asked.

"Somebody shut him already!" Cam shouted. "I never even got the chance to see that movie, I don't want any spoilers!"

Nagito laughed at Cam's misfortune. "Seriously though, in exchange for my cooperation I'd like you to all promise me something." Nagito's facial expression changed to say that he was seriously contemplating his actions. "If at any point in time, one of us does end up killing another, I want your word that you won't take it easy on the killer. Because if you guys can truly find it your hearts to murder one of your friends even after all you've been through today, well that just means that you're even worse trash than me. Murder for the sake of despair is disgusting, if it was murder in the name of hope I might be able to be persuaded. For instance, if anyone feels like killing me, that's perfectly fine because all you'll be doing is making your hope shine brighter by ridding the world of trash that's already been tainted by despair. The same could be said for Mukuro-chan or Izuru-kun, or this so-called traitor if there really is one. So in other words I'll give you four targets that you can take your pick of, but murdering anyone else is inexcusable in my eyes. So rest assured if anyone else besides those four targets is murdered than I will do everything in my power to make sure that the killer is punished even if they are a friend. Because you won't just be killing a friend, you'll be killing the hope that you have accumulated through your efforts here today. Inexcusable."

"No one is killing anyone, not if I have anything to say about it!" Micho shouted.

"We've already made it very clear you idiot! No murder!" Jonathan shouted at Nagito.

"I may not agree about the killing for the sake of hope thing but I definitely agree with you when you say that killing one of our friends after all we've been through is inexcusable!" Sawa exclaimed. "And if that truly does happen I will not rest until the killer is punished!"

"So I guess it's an agreement then?" Nagito asked, to which we all nodded. Nagito shrugged his shoulders and then reached inside his coat and pulled out a small leather bound journal which had scraps of paper sticking out of it at all angles. "Akira-kun, catch!" Without a moment of hesitation, Nagito threw the journal to me and I barely caught it in time. "That's it, that's the key to getting you to see the truth. I'll let Izuru-kun take it from here. If it's okay with you all I'm just going to sit back and watch the show."

I ignored Nagito and flipped open the journal, which I noticed was filled with pages of neat evenly spaced writing which was only second to Jose's. As I scanned the pages I noticed keywords in the dialogue that told me right away who the journal belonged to. "Kyoko Kirigiri!" I exclaimed. "This is her diary, the one that the imposter version of her told us about!"

"What? That can't be right, that would mean that when this imposter Ultimate Imposter pretended to be Kyoko Kirigiri that they were actually telling the truth about her hiding her diary," Jose explained.

"Where did you find the diary Komaeda-san?" Aya asked.

"Does anyone recall the mysterious words the imposter Kyoko-chan spoke before she left?" Nagito asked.

 **Flashback:**

" _I tried figuring out the mystery of this place before I died, and I failed. I come from a family of elite detectives and in six years' time I learned almost nothing. Although every time someone died I figured out what happened, praying that someone didn't give in and murder a friend. After the first couple of cases I got the others to comply with a little fingerprint analysis. I didn't have the proper equipment so I improvised with some things I found around the school. And I managed to get fingerprint cards for everyone, including the students that died thanks to some impromptu visits to the biology lab. I stored them along with all the notes I took of my findings in my journal, but sadly even with all the time and effort I put into it I still couldn't crack the case. I always felt like an important detail was staring me right in the face, but try as I might I could never see it."_

' _Journal?' I thought back to the Final Destination Museum. 'I don't remember seeing anything like that. All that was missing from her case was her gloves. Could the Ultimate Imposter be lying or…?' I stared at the imposter Kyoko. 'No, I can't think of this person as the Ultimate Imposter, if they do have DID then this person here now really is Kyoko Kirigiri, at least that's what they think. And the Ultimate Detective would never lie unless it was for a good reason. At least that's what I'm hoping, if not then the true mystery might never be solved.'_

 _I decided to play along with the Ultimate Imposter. "Kirigiri-san? Back up a second. What's all this about a journal?"_

" _My personal journal, I take it everywhere with me and make sure that it's always on my person. But after I decided with Makoto that suicide was the only way out without hurting a friend I hid it. I didn't want the Mastermind to catch on to me so that's why it didn't end up in my case at the museum. That is what you were going to ask right?" she replied._

" _Exactly," I replied. "So if it wasn't on your person or in your room then that's the only way the Mastermind couldn't have housed it in the museum. Which means you hid it somewhere they couldn't find, right?"_

 _The imposter Kyoko smiled at me. "Very astute. You would've made a fine detective."_

" _Hold up, hold up, hold up!" Monokuma exclaimed. "This is news to me! You kept such damning evidence hidden from me! Why the hell did you do that?!"_

" _Insurance," the imposter Kyoko replied. "I wanted to make sure that if others ever came to this hellhole then they would have at least a fighting chance at solving this unsolvable mystery. And now I have completed my role."_

" _Wait, then where is the journal?!" I exclaimed. "It might be important!"_

" _For this murder mystery, I doubt it," said Kyoko. "Save it for the bigger mystery at hand. That information will only be good for unmasking the Mastermind. So try to find it after you win this trial."_

" _Then at least tell us where you hid it," said Nodaka._

 _The imposter Kyoko smiled again. "Even with all the security cameras in the school there are a few places that are total blind spots. I hid it in one of those places, there's not that many so you should find it eventually. I hope it will help you on your journey, until then good luck." She turned around to make a gesture that she walking away. "_ _ **Also, make sure that you use the restroom after all this is over. You've all been here quite a while so I assume some of you have to go. Make a mental note of it, that's all.**_ _" And with that odd piece of advice stated she disappeared as the lights went off._

"She told us that it might be a good idea for us to use the bathroom," I replied. "But what does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"Well you see not many people know it but the school was originally built with several hidden areas used for the scientific experiments that the Hope's Peak Academy faculty and staff conducted in secret, and one such area is safeguarded in the main school building. I knew about the area beforehand so I thought it might be a good idea to check it during our investigation. And when I reached the area's hidden location guess what I didn't see there," Nagito replied.

"There weren't any security cameras in that area were there?" I asked.

"No there weren't, I thought it was quite odd at first too. I mean on all the other floors there were cameras everywhere, even in the bathrooms, but for some reason there wasn't one in the second floor boys' bathroom. I took that as a guess that the hidden room must've been important if it was in one of the few areas where there were no cameras, so I investigated the hidden room and found Kyoko-chan's diary hiding amongst the many useless research files containing the scientist's data. I didn't know what to make of it at first until I told Izuru-kun about it later when we met up again in the Chemistry lab," Nagito explained.

"I knew immediately what it was, and how the evidence inside could crack the case wide open. So that's why I told Komaeda-kun to keep it under wraps, but I didn't think he would end up using it as leverage against you guys. I apologize for having any associations at all with this cretin," said Izuru.

"But what's inside that's so important that Kyoko felt she had to hide it?" Nate asked. "I mean we heard it from the imposter version of her herself, it's not supposed to be of any use for solving Hajime's murder."

"Do you honestly believe that? We're not even sure if this person is the Ultimate Imposter anymore, why would we believe a word that they said with no proof at all?" Yasuke asked. "The journal was in the same place that the imposter Kirigiri said it would be so it stands to reason that given how much this killer likes jerking us around that if that fact is true than every other word out of her mouth was a lie."

"Oh you know me so well Yasuke-kun," the imposter Junko giggled. "From what I heard from a certain girl she said that you were so gullible, she used to play tricks on you for fun. I wish that I could have experienced the pleasure of making you feel despair."

Yasuke's eyes widened, "What do you know about Otonashi?"

The imposter Junko giggled. "Not telling, it's more fun that way."

"Dammit, when we find out who you really are you're going to tell me everything you know!" Yasuke shouted at the imposter Junko.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do to make me talk," the imposter Junko said with a soft purr.

"Damn ugly, psychotic bitch!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"So anyway we can assume that the diary contains some kind of clue regarding the identity of our killer, correct?" Keiko asked.

"I have no doubt, but even if you guys know who it really is she's not going to go down without a fight. Plus, according to Monokuma we still have to no everything that happened in the murder from the very beginning," Izuru explained.

"Yep, you're nearing the identity so that's the only way we can prolong your despair, even if it's just by a little bit," Monokuma explained.

"Okay so Aki, what are you waiting for? What's inside?" Jonathan asked.

"Not much really, it's mainly just an ordinary diary besides the occasional pages which mention a case Kirigiri-san was working on," I said as I flipped through the pages. "Wait here's something about the Killing School Life, up until that point it just talks about the events of each day being trapped here. Nothing on the mysteries besides them just being suicides, except right here."

"Well who's suicide is it about, Kira Onii-chan?" Beigoma asked.

"Junko Enoshima's," I replied, making the other's go silent. I then began to read aloud from Kyoko's diary. " _Yesterday, I told the others that to make things simpler in the event that the suicides continue to happen I am going to start fingerprinting everyone here. It took some doing but I managed to make a makeshift fingerprinting kit from some supplies I found here and there around the school. And if the Mastermind is indeed one of us, it might also be helpful in determining their identity if I dust for prints in areas I know for sure that he would have had to visit in person. I am keeping this from the others obviously, I can't be too careful. But my attempt to search for evidence of the Mastermind was unfortunately derailed by the discovery of yet another suicide victim. It's Junko Enoshima this time, it's so hard to believe that someone like her wouldn't be able to see any other option out besides suicide. But then again, she might've killed herself to save Mukuro, she never did tell us who in her life Ultimate Despair kidnapped, and the two of them seemed oddly close for mere friends, almost like sisters. However, the reason I'm writing the details surrounding this murder case down for future reference is something that I have discovered as a mystery in itself. When I was inspecting Junko's body I thought it would be a good idea to get her fingerprints while I had the chance but when I had everything set up I noticed that Junko's fingers were scared in several areas, and that's when I realized that some time ago Junko had burned off her fingerprints, a crude but effective way for a criminal to get away with a crime. And judging by the state of the suicide note she left I think it's safe to say why she was trying so hard to conceal her identity. In her note she told us that her and Mukuro were indeed sisters, fraternal twins as a matter of fact, and also how they were both the very students that started Ultimate Despair in the very beginning, the Despair Sisters. I can't believe I didn't see it before, but I do remember considering in the past that Junko may have had a connection to Ultimate Despair based upon her odd behavior when they first revealed themselves to the world, nut never would I imagine that Junko herself was the original Mastermind. It all makes sense now, considering the atrocities she was involved in it's no wonder she would have to burn off her fingerprints._ "

" _However, the odd thing is that when I began fingerprinting the rest of Junko's room I noticed that there were several of the same print all over her room, proving that she had another person over to her room very frequently. At first I thought this meant that the other person killed Junko and faked her suicide but after discovering that the prints belonged to Chiaki and that she had an alibi for the time of death I dismissed the idea. And in the end Junko's death was ruled a suicide, but the odd feeling I had still remained. The state of Junko's body didn't ease that feeling either, it was covered in slash marks from the knife she used. Where she probably could've ended her life with one thrust of the knife to an artery she instead chose to relentlessly hack at herself until she finally collapsed from losing too much blood, but in that time she cut up not only her arms and legs, but also her torso and even her face. It made me think that she might've simply been a severe masochist due to her status as the Ultimate Despair, but even after dismissing the oddities my feeling of uncertainty still remained. When you look at it from an objective point of view it almost looks like the cutting was done so we couldn't identify Junko's body, same thing with the fingerprints. But the fingerprints were burned off quite a while ago, whereas the mutilation was recent so I couldn't see a connection, at least not yet._ "

"After that there's a bunch of blank pages with the fingerprint cards she took sticking out," I said.

"So the only fingerprints Kirigiri-chan could find in Enoshima-chan's room were left by Nanami-chan?" Micho asked.

"Yes but you're forgetting Kirigiri-san wouldn't have known that Nanami-san was really the Ultimate Imposter, but since we know that the Ultimate Imposter was a member of Ultimate Despair just like Enoshima-san we could assume that their reason for being there is that they had some plans to discuss with her," Jose explained.

"So Junko burned off her fingerprints so she wouldn't be a suspect in a crime, or something like that?" Nate asked, seeming to be confused.

"But the timing for Kirigiri-chan to notice that Enoshima-chan didn't have any fingerprints is kind of odd isn't it. Right before she was about to get everybody's fingerprints Junko kills herself," said Micho. "To make matters even stranger she hacked away at her body relentlessly make it hard to distinguish her unique physical characteristics."

"The timing is off too, Junko never burned off her fingerprints. At least not while I was around," said Mukuro. "She once said something about the despair she would feel about being caught red handed would be too delicious to pass up."

"She probably just did if after you left then, you didn't see her at all in that seven-year time period, right?" Sawa asked.

"No, I didn't. I was ordered to remain confined in a secluded area for most of that time. Meanwhile, Junko was on the frontlines here, playing her role as the Mastermind. The Killing School Life didn't begin a year until after we had already been abducted so it's possible that Junko removed her fingerprints during that time period," Mukuro surmised. "But it's kind of hard to believe that Junko would have to resort to that means in order to remain hidden. She was terribly clever, and always had a trick up her sleeve to get her out of a tight spot. My sister was worthy of being the Mastermind behind Ultimate Despair, that's for sure. Something about the whole thing with the fingerprints just doesn't feel right to me for some reason."

"You weren't the only one with doubts," I said. "According to her entries concerning Enoshima-san's suicide it looks like Kirigiri-san thought things didn't quite add up either. The way that her body was mutilated beyond recognition, it seems like Enoshima-san was almost trying to make herself unidentifiable. But for whatever reason Kirigiri-san was never able to figure it out, and according to the last notes she wrote in this thing the mystery behind who was controlling Monokuma was never figured out. Kirigiri-san assumed that Enoshima-san would've had to have a partner who could stay in the video recording room the whole time in order to watch the video camera feeds and control Monokuma. She assumed that one of the other students was the second man but even her fingerprint leads didn't pan out."

"And the Ultimate Imposter wasn't the other Mastermind, right?" Shiro asked.

"No, the only way the Ultimate Imposter could control Monokuma right now was if they were carrying a remote or something of the like. But they're here right now, talking to us. So that can only mean that this other Mastermind is still hiding out in the video recording room," Jose explained.

"And there's no way I can be in two places at once, I'm not that good of an actor," said the imposter Junko.

"Could it have been Mikan then, she was an Ultimate Despair too, right?" Nate asked.

"But Tsumiki-chan is dead, so she couldn't be the person who's controlling Monokuma right now," Micho replied.

"And the only remaining survivor of the students is this person, who may or may not be the Ultimate Imposter. So that means that either Monokuma is on auto-pilot at this moment in time, which seems highly unlikely since he told us at the very start of the case that he was being controlled by someone, or that one of our students was in fact playing dead this whole time," Jose explained.

"Robots have probably become more advanced during our missing seven years but I doubt they could become so advanced that they can think and talk by themselves. The only explanation for that is if they had a very sophisticated AI implanted in them, but nothing of the sort has been invented yet to my knowledge," said Chihiro.

"And you're sure about that?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes positive," Chihiro replied with a nod. "I know because I'm working to develop the world's first sentient AI, a strong AI if you will." Then she gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh wait, that project's supposed to be top secret. I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it, I signed a non-disclosure agreement. Please promise me you won't tell anyone else," Chihiro demanded with a pleading look.

"I'm impressed by your commitment to you work Chihiro-chan but I don't think that contract really matters anymore," said Cam. "The world's kind of messed up right now, you know."

"Oh I guess you're right, never mind then," Chihiro replied with a light blush of embarrassment.

"Then that leaves the dead man walking theory, right?" Nate asked.

"But that's impossible, we saw them all ourselves after all," said Keiko.

"Qui, back in le Final Destination Museum they looked quite dead, no?" Connie added.

"Well then that leaves a more rational theory, but the problem is it doesn't answer any questions. The only other thing I can think of is that another member of Ultimate Despair was hiding in the school the whole time and the students never guessed it. In which case, the other Mastermind can be anyone, we have no way of figuring out who," Jose explained.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" Monokuma asked with a chuckle. "I'll save the big reveal for the finale, thank you very much."

Aya grunted in frustration. "Even from beyond the grave Enoshima-senpai is messing with us!"

"Isn't she a riot, she just won't stay dead! She's like a cockroach! A smoking hot, charming, perverse, and busty cockroach!" the imposter Junko exclaimed.

"Perverse was about the only real adjective in there, ugly," Yasuke spat.

"Don't think I haven't notice your ogling stairs brain boy," the imposter Junko replied with a giggle.

Yasuke's eyes widened and he looked away from the imposter Junko. A light blush appeared on his cheeks as he spat out, "S-Shut up, ugly bitch."

"Eh, can't blame him," Deva said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hmm," finally the mindless chatter came to an end as we all turned our attention to Beigoma. She appeared to be thinking. "Hmmmmmmmmmm." Very loudly. She cocked her head back and forth in a rocking motion as she "hmm'd" to herself repeatedly. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" When it became clear that she was just dying for attention I called out to her.

"Kiyoshi-san?" I said, getting her attention.

"Hmm?" She seemed surprised to be called on.

"Something you want to share with the rest of the class?" I teased.

She smiled and replied in a giddy tone, "Oh it's nothing really, I was just thinking about what Kirigiri-chan wrote in her diary. About Enoshima-chan's suicide? And how she found out that Enoshima-chan was missing her fingerprints?"

"Yeah, what about it? Spit it out blondie," Nodaka replied in a coarse manner.

"Blondie? That's a new one, but anyways ~," Beigoma continued, "I had a thought. Now keep in mind I don't know that much about logic wise about this kind of stuff but…wouldn't it make sense to say that Enoshima-san did those things to herself to make her body harder to identify?"

"Yeah, but it's kind of ridiculous. I mean they could tell who it was even without the fingerprints or the physical characteristics," Micho explained.

"But that's the other thing," said Beigoma. "Nanami-chan, aka the Ultimate Imposter pretending to be her, was in Enoshima-san's room a lot according to the fingerprints Kirigiri-chan found in Enoshima-chan's room, right? But here's what I don't get, why didn't Nanami-san have her fingerprints removed too?"

"What do you mean exactly?" I asked.

"Well, it's just kind of odd isn't it?" Beigoma replied. "I mean Nanami-san was really the Ultimate Imposter, a person whose talent was to take on the life of another person. But wouldn't fingerprints get in the way of their identity changing? I mean you can't change your fingerprints like you can change your clothes, right? You only get one set for your whole life. And if no one could ever ID the Ultimate Imposter wouldn't it stand to reason that the best thing for them to do would be to remove their fingerprints as well?"

Jose scoffed. "You moronic girl, that's ludicrous, we already know that the Ultimate Imposter had fingerprints and Enoshima-san didn't. It wouldn't make sense for Kirigiri-san to have found those fingerprints if…" Jose's eyes suddenly widened, "if the Ultimate Imposter didn't have any fingerprints." Then he went mute as a look of fear replaced his smug grin.

"Historia-kun?" I called out to him. "What's wrong?"

"I know who this person is," Jose said softly as he stared at the imposter Junko.

"What you do?!" I exclaimed.

"Of course, it's so obvious. The answer was standing right in front of us the whole time, literally," Jose explained. "And I can't believe Kiyoshi-san figured it out before I did."

"Huh, I figured it out? What did I figure out?" Beigoma replied in confusion.

'The answer is standing right in front of us? What does Jose mean by that?' I asked myself. 'No, he wouldn't tell me even if I asked. He's arrogant about those kinds of things. I have to figure it out on my own. I've got to think. Think really big. Come on brain, don't fail me now.' I closed my eyes and began to think over the clues surrounding Junko's case that I had been given so far. And then suddenly I began to feel a wave of insight wash over me.

* * *

LOGIC DIVE

* * *

 **Warning:** You guys should remember how to play Logic Dive since it's one of the most interactive minigames there is, but just in case it's been a while for you since you've played Danganronpa 2, I'll still tell you what you need to do. First off imagine yourself as a tinier version of you, second you're riding on an object that's part surfboard, part snowboard, and part skateboard, and lastly you are riding down large grid-like tunnels that are meant to represent your brain's neural pathways. Now if you were playing on a PS Vita system all you need to is simply control the mini you with the left analog stick to avoid obstacles and jump accordingly to cross gaps in the pathways. The goal is to reach the logic point at the end of the pathway and answer the questions you get along the way correctly. Do this and you're sure to find yourself on the right path. Unfortunately, this is fanfiction and the most we can afford to work with on our small budget are the questions that you need to answer. If you'd like to imagine yourself playing Logic Dive you can do that, or if your imagination is lousy than you can watch videos of Hajime's Logic Dives in Danganronpa 2 on YouTube and replace the questions he answers with the following questions accordingly. That's all for now, I'll be back to talk to you later about the next Closing Argument. Till then.

* * *

QUESTION #1:

* * *

Who was the Ultimate Imposter to pretending to be when they started the Killing School Life?

Hajime Hinata

Chiaki Nanami

Junko Enoshima

Byakuya Togami

 **Correct Answer:** b) Chiaki Nanami

* * *

QUESTION #2:

* * *

What does the Ultimate Imposter really look like?

A skinny girl

A fat boy

No one really knows

 **Correct Answer:** c) No one really knows

* * *

QUESTION #3:

* * *

Besides the missing fingerprints, what else stuck out about Junko Enoshima's body?

Her blood was pitch black, almost like a demon's

Her chest was way too huge for a girl her size

Her hair was slightly darker than it usually was

Her face and most of her body was slashed ruining physical characteristics

 **Correct Answer:** d) Her face and most of her body was slashed ruining physical characteristics

* * *

QUESTION #4:

* * *

Who was the only other person who was ever in Junko's room according to the fingerprints Kyoko collected?

Chiaki Nanami/Ultimate Imposter

Makoto Naegi

Hajime Hinata

Celestia Ludenberg

Mikan Tsumiki

Correct Answer: a) Chiaki Nanami/Ultimate Imposter

* * *

QUESTION #5:

* * *

Is Junko Enoshima really dead?

Yes

No

She lives on through the Ultimate Imposter's DID

 **Correct Answer:** b) No

* * *

"I've got it!" I exclaimed upon finally realizing the truth.

* * *

COMPLETE

* * *

I gasped. "That's it. That's the only way I can think where anything makes sense," I said aloud.

"Akira, have you figured it out?" Nodaka asked.

"I think so, but in order to prove it I'm going to need one thing. Someone go get the fingerprinting kit Kirigiri-san made out of her museum case," I ordered.

"I've got it hebi," Azami said as she raced over to Kyoko's case. And within seconds she came running back with the fingerprinting kit in tow. "Here you go Myo-kun hebi. Jagaimo-chan, hopes she was helpful hebi," Azami said as she passed down the fingerprinting kit to me.

"Where are you going with this Akira-kun?" the imposter Junko asked in a mocking way.

"I just need to confirm that you don't have any more tricks up your sleeves." I pulled the tools I needed out of the kit and then handed them to Izuru. "Izuru, you're closest do you mind?" I asked.

"Not at all, anything to take her down a peg," Izuru replied as he took the fingerprinting supplies, a black ink pad, a small brush, and a blank fingerprint card. "Using this stuff, I know exactly what you're planning to do. But even after this it's not like she's just going to flat out admit it."

"Trust me, I have a plan," I replied.

Izuru nodded. "If you say so." Then he dipped the brush down in the ink pad and then turned to face the imposter Junko. "Can I see your hand please?"

"I can give you a finger," the imposter Junko replied as she stuck up her middle finger and flipped Izuru the bird. "That good enough?"

"Cute, but I need to see all of them," Izuru grabbed ahold of the imposter Junko's hand forcefully and then reached out and painted the surface of her fingers. Then taking the black fingerprint card, Izuru jammed the imposter Junko's thumb onto the card, leaving behind a large thumb print. Then he proceeded to print each finger one by one, until he had ten in all to fill up the card. "Here's a fact you may not know, while it is true that everyone has their own unique set of prints the prints on each of your fingers are not fully identical as well, so when a criminal is processed they have to print all ten fingers to get an exact match when they do a comparison later on." After that Izuru air dried the fingerprint card and then handed it and the rest of the supplies back to me.

Taking the fingerprint card in one hand, I reached into Kyoko's diary with the other and fished out Chiaki Nanami's fingerprint card. Then I held both cards up for the others to see. "You may not be able to see them all that clearly without a magnifying glass but if you look very closely you'll see that the fingerprints are a perfect match." I passed the fingerprint cards down the ring starting from Beigoma, who was on my right, who then passed them to Chihiro, who passed them to Cam, who passed them to Nate, who passed them to Sawa, who passed them to Keiko, who passed them to Aya, who passed them to Micho, who passed them to Nodaka, who passed them to Jose, who skipped over the imposter Junko and passed them to Izuru. Then Izuru passed them to Connie, who passed them to Mukuro, who passed them to Azami, who passed them to Nagito, who passed them to Yasuke, who passed them to Deva, who passed them to Jonathan, who passed them to Shiro, who finally returned them back to me. (A/N: Just in case you couldn't follow that, those were the positions of each character's seat at the trial grounds. Here allow me to state them again. Right to left: Akira, Beigoma, Chihiro, Cam, Nate, Sawa, Keiko, Aya, Micho, Nodaka, Jose, 21st seat, Izuru, Connie, Mukuro, Azami, Nagito, Yasuke, Soshun/Deva, Jonathan, Shiro, and finally back to Akira. Vice versa left to right: Akira, Shiro, Jonathan, Soshun/Deva, Yasuke, Nagito, Azami, Mukuro, Connie, Izuru, 21st seat, Jose, Nodaka, Micho, Aya, Keiko, Sawa, Nate, Cam, Chihiro, Beigoma, and finally back to Akira. For all you visual readers keep them in mind.)

"You're right, they are the same set of prints," said Micho.

"But what does that mean exactly?" Nate asked. "Both Chiaki and this Junko are the Ultimate Imposter, right? So it would make sense that they would have the same prints, right?"

"You know, you need to get better at listening Baron-san," said Cam. "According to Kamukura-san this person isn't the Ultimate Imposter at all."

"But what's the difference?" Aya asked. "If they're not the Ultimate Imposter that just means they're the Ultimate Imposter Imposter, doesn't it? It still doesn't rule out the fact that they're the same person."

"That's not what I was trying to prove," I replied. "I just wanted to confirm that this person has fingerprints before I get started proving my theories. It's very crucial to the explanation."

"Okay then enlighten us Aki. What's the big deal about the fingerprints?" Jonathan asked

"Well first of all, it's not so much the fingerprints as it is the person they're on. You see, I was thinking some more about Enoshima-san's case and I think I've realized why Kirigiri-san was having so much doubt about it. It's all thanks to Historia-kun and Kiyoshi-san, the two of you helped me understand something very critical. As Kiyoshi-san said before, it kind of is odd that the Ultimate Imposter whose very existence is such an enigma to have kept their fingerprints all this time, despite changing identities about as much as a normal person changes their clothes. The fingerprints would have been able to ID who the Ultimate Imposter really was, and since they were so much of a recluse it stands to reason that they wouldn't want their true identity coming out. So why not get rid of their fingerprints to prevent that. Plus, Kirigiri-san clearly states in her case diary that not once before the day that Junko died did she notice that Enoshima-san burned off her fingerprints, and you think it would be clearly noticeable considering the amount of scar tissue it would leave behind."

"And come to think of it Chiaki Nanami would be the perfect cover for that," said Cam. "They could pretend that the scars were the early onsets of severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which any pro gamer has to have gotten at least once in their life, especially someone like Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. It's the perfect cover, you know."

"Well that's not exactly where I was going with it, but I guess you're right," I said with a sweatdrop. "Anyways, Kirigiri-san also mentioned that the scars looked old, whereas if Enoshima-san burned off her fingerprints before she killed herself she would've left behind evidence of it having happened recently. So I think that maybe the scars were old because the person who made them did it quite a while ago."

"What exactly are you getting at, Akira-kun?" the imposter Junko asked.

"What I'm getting at is the fact that besides just killing herself, Enoshima-san ended up covering half her body in cuts and slash marks, destroying her face and any other unique physical characteristics. And the only reason I can think that anyone would bother doing that is so that it would make it impossible to ID them by any other means besides fingerprints. In other words, Enoshima-san, or more likely, someone else wanted to make it impossible to identify her body."

"But wait, why do that unless…?" Micho's eyes widened in realization. "Unless the person who died wasn't really Enoshima-chan."

The others all gasped at the sudden elaborate theory.

"You've got to admit, it would be pretty easy to fake your own death if you had someone like the Ultimate Imposter to help you out, although I'm not sure how much they willingly participated in this ruse so much as were forced into doing it. I think that Enoshima-san knew that Kirigiri-san would figure out who she was eventually if she left things the way they were and allowed her fingerprints to get taken. So to avoid falling under suspicion she decided to fake her own death using the person whose very existence is meant to be that of a body double, the Ultimate Imposter. She had the Ultimate Imposter dress up as her and commit suicide, or maybe she even murdered them herself, I'm not really sure on that end. But I do know, that when the Ultimate Imposter was dead she had to make sure that nobody could ID them as someone other than Junko Enoshima for her plan to work. So she cut up the Ultimate Imposter's face and body until it appeared that the only way you could tell who the victim was by checking their clothes. After that Enoshima-san knew that she couldn't just hide and have the others discover her body double, because then two students would have suddenly disappeared. So much like the Ultimate Imposter, Enoshima-san disguised herself as Chiaki Nanami, which was a fairly easy task to pull off by using the Ultimate Imposter's already made up disguise. And I think that Enoshima-san has been Chiaki Nanami the whole time since then, if which is true than that means that all of that nonsense about multiple personalities was all a pack of lies. The Ultimate Imposter never had DID to begin with, the Ultimate Imposter wasn't even the Ultimate Imposter. It was you along, wasn't it Enoshima…no who, am I kidding? You don't deserve any respect at all. It was you along, wasn't it Junko?"

The imposter Junko smiled and then she clapped her hands. "Wow, I have to hand it to you. That's a nice little story, Akira-kun. Imagine that, the person pretending to be another person was their self another person all along. That is a twist worthy of a perfect crime novel. And that part about me faking DID? Oh, brilliant. Absolutely brilliant, you make me out to be a truly terrifying human being. And I love it!"

"Stop lying, admit that I'm right Junko! You got Hinata-kun to believe a made-up lie, not when Koizumi-san took that picture of the imposter Togami-kun, but when he himself took it. The Ultimate Imposter was still playing their part as Chiaki Nanami before Mahiru Koizumi died, so there's no way she could've taken it when the Ultimate Imposter didn't have DID in the first place. It was you, it was all you! You got Hinata-kun and us to believe a sob story about how the Ultimate Imposter was burdened with the belief that they were nothing at all, when really we don't how they felt because they were your puppet from the very beginning. It was all you, admit it! Admit that you murder Hajime Hinata in cold blood, right now!" I shouted at the impo…no, Junko.

Junko's smile turned into a frown. "So I'm a liar, am I? Well how's about you prove I murdered Hajime then? After all, if everything that's been said and done in this case from the very beginning is all a lie then tell me, how do you know Hajime didn't kill himself?"

"Is that a joke?" Jose asked.

"Yep, you got me. I just want to hear it; how do you know I did it Akira-kun?" Junko asked in a demeaning way.

"Simple, there's two pieces of evidence that should prove you did it." I let my other self pick out the evidence I needed. (Ammunition needed: **Mukuro's survival knife** ). "I can prove it with this!" I exclaimed. 'That the first one, what's the second?' I asked myself. (Ammunition needed: **Celestia's handkerchief** ). "That's it!" I exclaimed.

"Earlier when we determined that Ikusaba-san's survival knife was the murder weapon we also made note of the fact that there were no fingerprints on the knife," I said.

"So your proof that I did the crime is a printless knife?" Junko asked.

"No, my theory is that in an effort to hide your prints you used Yasuhiro-san's handkerchief to remove your fingerprints. If you look closely at the handkerchief you can see blood smudges and smears which show that someone was using to rub off something. And the only thing that the handkerchief would be useful for removing is your fingerprints," I explained.

"So, what's your point?" Junko asked.

"My point is that if we are correct in saying that the Ultimate Imposter was the person who removed their fingerprints in the past then there wouldn't be any point for them to use the handkerchief to wipe evidence off of the knife. And if I am right and you took the place of the Ultimate Imposter, who you used as a body double, then you would still be in possession of your fingerprints, correct?"

"Well duh, obviously," Junko replied without a single care in the world. She wasn't even fazed by the fact that I was calling her out on murder.

"Then I think you used the handkerchief in order to hide your prints," I replied also unfazed.

Junko giggled. "You're so simpleminded that it's almost hilarious. Okay, I'll give you that as a possible theory, but what if say for instance the handkerchief was just a red herring and what I really used to cover up my fingerprints was Kyoko's gloves instead? You found them at the crime scene too, right? How do you respond to that?" Junko asked.

"Um, why does that even matter? They were both used to hide fingerprints in the ways you describe them," said Jonathan.

"It matters, because I say it matters. I told you I'm not giving up until you've answered every single one of the questions hanging in the air. So I want to hear an answer, how do you know I used the gloves and not the handkerchief?"

'The evidence I need to crush her claim is…' (Ammunition needed: **bloody gauze** ). "Here's my answer!" I exclaimed. 'And one more piece should do it…' (Ammunition needed: **Kyoko's gloves** ). "I can prove it with this!"

"What you seem to be forgetting is that Hinata-kun didn't go down without a fight. We now know that a struggle ensued between you and him in which you both had your clothes torn and cut with the knife, and in which you received that nasty gash on your right palm," I explained.

"And your point is...? Am I really going to have to ask you to go into details each time?" Junko asked.

"Well, think about it for a second. If you got slashed on your right palm, then shouldn't there also be a tear in the right glove from the cut? But if you look at the gloves you can see that besides being covered in blood on the palm areas, neither one has a tear in it. My theory is that you planted the gloves after killing Hinata-kun, and simply dipped the gloves into his blood to create false evidence implicating Kyoko," I replied.

"Oh yeah, well how do you know Hajime wasn't the one wearing the gloves?" Junko asked.

"Because the gloves were specially designed for Kirigiri-san's hands, even getting a girl with a similar hand size to fit into them would be tricky, but a guy wearing those gloves would be downright impossible. And if you think of the gloves as a pure red herring and nothing but the purpose behind separating them makes sense as well, it was a pathetic attempt to shift blame on to Hinata-kun and get us confused from the very beginning. A task which you gave to Izuru, am I right?"

"Well you've got to admit, that theory was really farfetched anyway you look at it. So I needed someone else to implicate him for me, a task which Izuru-kun was happy to fill in, he's such a good little helper," Junko said as she cracked a smile.

"You repulse me," Izuru said in a dark tone. "I will no longer do your dirty work."

"Okay then, just so you know I was watching the start of the class trial from a cozy little hideaway so I know that you guys have already figured out the purpose behind the red herrings. Some were obviously phonies, like the ones Monokuma helped me plant. And then some took some real thinking to see if they served a purpose or not. So I'd just like to know one thing about the red herring you didn't discuss yet," said Junko.

"What red herring we didn't discuss yet?" Yasuke asked. "We found them all already."

"Nope, you found this one but you never brought it up. I guess if I really did turn out to be the Ultimate Imposter you would save it for the end and show me that even though I fell into despair I still showed remorse, or some sappy afterschool special crap like that. But you're going with the theory that I'm not so why doesn't this thing I'm talking about fit into the puzzle?"

'She must be talking about that. And that person should still have it.' (Ammunition needed: **killer's apology note** ). "You want it, you got it!" I exclaimed.

"Auruka-san?" I called out to Micho. "Do you still have that note I asked you to hold on to?"

"Note?" Micho looked confused for a second and then it finally hit her. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I've been holding onto it this whole time, haven't I? Hang on just a second." Micho reached up into her sweater's sleeve to fish the note out from her makeshift pocket.

"Wait what's all this about a note?" Nodaka asked.

"It's a note of paper that we found when we were investigating the crime scene. It was on Hinata-kun's person; I didn't have the strength to keep at the time so I asked Auruka-san to hold onto it. And she's been keeping it safe ever since," I explained.

"I can't believe it," Nodaka simply said.

"Yeah, I can't believe that there was another red herring after all," said Shiro.

"No, I can't believe that Akira would ask Miss Prissy DA over here to keep something safe instead of me!" Nodaka exclaimed.

Micho sweatdropped. "You know I'm standing right next to you, right?"

"What the hell Akira, are the two of you going out?!" Nodaka shouted at me. "First that little crybaby over there begs you to let her be your little sister and now she holds onto you every chance she gets, then you apparently sneak a peek up crazy cat girl's skirt, and now you're getting all chummy with Pinky?! For crying out loud, what do I have to do to get some Goddamn attention!"

"…" the silence was almost nerve racking.

And when Nodaka realized all that she said in her outburst her tanned skin turned completely red. "Idiot! Making me say all that stuff without realizing it, I'll kill you when this is all over!"

"Okay this has been bugging the crap out of me and I can't ignore it anymore," said Nate. "Are you two an item or something? Because this isn't the only weird thing that she's said. From the very beginning she was especially mean to you, Akira, but ever since that whole crying fit of hers I've been catching her staring at you with puppy dog eyes. Kind of like Beigoma, only less cute."

"How dare you! I am cute! I'm way cuter than that crybaby!" Nodaka shouted again. And when she realized what she said she decided that it was best to just shut up, cover her mouth, and pout so she wouldn't have any more outbursts.

"You see what I mean? It's like she hates the thought of any girl getting close to you, whether it's harmless like Micho, or sisterly like Beigoma, or even downright pervy like Azami," said Nate.

I sighed. "I told you that nothing happened. She kept the bookmark under there, I didn't see anything."

"Be that as it may, I think that Nodaka would…" after receiving a harsh glare from Nodaka, Nate remembered the unspoken rule, "I mean I think that Nodaka-san would actually prefer it if no other girls went near you at all." Nate smirked. "Yep it's official we've got a definite tsundere."

Nodaka lowered her head in shame.

"I've hear that expression used before, but I have no idea what it means. Tell me Monsieur Dodo, what is this tsuunideri?" said Connie.

"Um, that's still me right?" Nate asked. "Um, well first of all its pronounced tsundere, and basically it's an otaku word that was created to describe a specific genre for heroines in anime or manga. There are a lot of different versions, and tsundere is about the only one I know. It's supposed to mean something like girls who will be real mean to you at first and then say weird things for no apparent reason. Or something like that at least, dude."

"Hmm, I still do not understand very well. Come now mes amis surely one of you knows these things well? No? Very disappointing," Connie said as she frowned.

"Ahem," Beigoma cleared her throat to get our attention. "Class is now in session," she said with a cocky smile. Then the screen cut to black.

* * *

IT'S TIME FOR TEACH US BEIGOMA-SENSEI

* * *

A cartoonish, bubbly-looking version of Beigoma appears on the screen. Along with her usual clothes she is wearing a pair of fake glasses, and she is now carrying a wooden pointer. Suddenly a blackboard appears behind her, and when Beigoma touches her pointer to the blackboard words start to magically appear on it.

"Ahem, good morning class, or is it good afternoon, or maybe even goodnight? I don't even know; we're still stuck in school after all. But you know just because our school life's been turned into an evil mutual killing game doesn't mean we all still can't learn something. And I have just the right subject to teach to explain to all our viewers about today's person of interest, Nodaka Hoshi." Nodaka's name suddenly appeared on the blackboard. "As we all know Nodaka has an attraction for Kira Onii-chan hiding under all that ill-temper and nasty angst of hers. Why? At this point I do not know, but it seems apparent that the two of them have some kind of history together. And that history shall be drawn upon by our understanding of our person of interest. Title: the Ultimate Maid, Occupation: maid formerly employed by the Kuzuryuu clan, Age: 17, Beigoma Sensei's current viewing of her: meanie who makes fun of Kira Onii-chan and calls sensei a crybaby." Beigoma made an angry expression. "She is quite a frustrating person, that much is true. But where exactly does all that rudeness and hostility come from?"

"There is a term that fits Nodaka Hoshi perfectly and it is called tsundere," Beigoma touched the blackboard again and the word tsundere appeared under Nodaka's name. "What is tsundere you ask? Well it describes girls who act mean or ill-tempered to the one they love for various reasons. Sometimes it's because they started out hating their love interest and then eventually grew to love them, or it may be because their love interest did something in the past to upset them, or it may be because that's the only way those kinds of girls know how to show their love. There are three ways to identify a tsundere, one, they usually insult their love interest but are kind to everyone else. That describes Hoshi-chan about halfway but we're still not there, after all she's kind of rude to everybody. Two, if the possible tsundere gets flustered and embarrassed when their love interest calls them cute and then threatens them with physical violence. Hoshi-chan would definitely do this if given the opportunity but Kira Onii-chan is kind of thick so I don't think that'll happen anytime soon. And finally, the possible tsundere may blurt out awkward things because their feelings for the love interest are so great that they literally can't shut up. Ding-ding-ding, looks like we have a winner. But only time will tell if Hoshi-san hits the trifecta."

"Now the breakup of the word tsundere creates the Japanese words tsuntsun and deredere which describe traits of Hoshi-san on their own. Tsuntsun means to look away in disgust, which is typically what tsunderes do at first, and deredere means lovey dovey which is what the tsundere will become like if a lot of time and energy is put into your relationship with her. Warning, tsunderes can be quite a handful and you should only form a relationship with one if you're very patient and understanding. Tsundere is one of several different heroine genres, and now if you give me a little more time I shall touch briefly on the others." Beigoma touched the blackboard again and then the words were erased and replaced with the word himedere. "First there's himedere, which can also be associated with Hoshi-chan. Himederes like to be treated as princesses by the ones they love so they can be kind of spoiled, rude, selfish to everyone else around them. Hime meaning princess, hence the name."

Beigoma touched the blackboard again and this time the word deredere appeared. "Then there's deredere. Deredere, which is described as a girl who unlike a tsundere is lovey dovey from the very beginning. But don't confuse it with just that word, deredere characters are deeper than that. Derederes are completely kind, happy, and energetic 24/7, and no matter what happens to them they always quickly revert back to their cheerful selves. The girls in our class this describes: Aya Kisaragi, Azami Jagaimo, and me, Beigoma-sensei. Therefore, if Kisaragi-chan or, Jagaimo-chan, or I ever meet a love interest not much will change from our current personalities because we are already like that. Instead we'll be lovey dovey from the very beginning, no effort or patience required."

Beigoma touched the blackboard again and this time the word dandere appeared. "Next is dandere. Danderes are extremely shy characters who remain silent unless spoken directly to. They are described as some of the cutest dere girls, but it can be a tad difficult getting them to come out of their shell. Usually the love interest is the only person who is able to accomplish this, and that is why danderes are a little more open and talkative around them. The girls in our class this describes: Chihiro Fujisaki. I like her but she's really too shy and timid for her own good, hopefully Yano-kun can get her to open up more."

Beigoma touched the blackboard again and this time the word kuudere appeared. "Dandere is also associated with the term kuudere, which is a genre of heroines who are considered cold at first because they are emotionless on the outside, most of these characters have troubled pasts. The girls in our class this describes: Mukuro Ikusaba and Sawa Nanase. Onee-chan definitely inhabits this area, it's too bad her love interest is dead. But who knows, maybe she'll meet someone new who can help her come out of her shell and heal her heart? Then there's Nanase-chan, I know she may not really look it but from the way she acts and talks I can see that her heart is broken as well. Something happened to her that made her cynical to the world, but what I wish I knew."

Beigoma touched the blackboard again and this time the word kamidere appeared. "Then there's kamidere, which describes girls who are all gung-ho about every little thing. They're very arrogant and proud, and aren't afraid to speak their minds and show everyone how right they are. Basically they are characters who have something to prove, either to others or themselves. The girls in our class this describes: Keiko Akasaka, Connie Takemi, and Micho Auruka. They all have set goals in mind, whether it's to become the world's best gambler, or reclaim their family's former glory, or even to single-handedly battle the injustices of the world. These three ladies are definitely ready to fight for their beliefs."

Beigoma touched the blackboard again and this time the word yandere appeared. "Lastly there's yandere, who are basically obsessed with the ones they love. Their love interest consumes their whole life and they basically do nothing that doesn't concern their love interest. They can be very violent when agitated or rejected, and in most situations yanderes end up killing the ones they love. I don't think there's anyone in our class who meets this criterion so I'll leave that one blank."

"Alright that's all for today, it's time to get back to the class trial. Great talking with you, I hope I cleared up any misconceptions as a manga enthusiast. This has been "Teach us Beigoma-sensei". For any more information on anything dere, just Google it!"

* * *

NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

* * *

At least that was how I pictured things in my head. In reality, nothing like that happened besides Beigoma's endless prattling on about the subject of dere. Half the things she said completely flew over my head. 'This girl is a diehard manga otaku, no doubt about it. She probably gives Yasuke a run for his money.' Then I thought about her deredere personality as she described it. 'It's a definite fit, especially the over energetic and cheerful nature. I pray to God that she doesn't start quoting manga. Then she may never shut up.'

"Anyways, does that help you out any Takemi-chan?" Beigoma asked.

Connie thought about all that she learned from Beigoma. "So I am this so called kamidere, no? Tell me Mademoiselle Daffodil what kind of person ends up falling for la kamidere?"

"Oh, well usually nobody likes the kamideres at first because nobody thinks that they'll be able to keep up with them since they're so headstrong and determined to prove that they are the best. So I would say the best bet for romance based on the shoujo manga I've read that have kamidere heroines would be either someone who's willing to help you accomplish your dream, or a fellow big dreamer in which you both encourage one another to pursue your goal and shoot for the stars," Beigoma explained.

"H-How much romance manga do you read?" Jonathan asked.

"You mean shoujo? I don't just read that, I read all kinds of manga. And manga's not all that I read either. Back when I lived in the countryside I read at least five full books a day, it was hard to catch an opportunity when I didn't have my nose buried in a book," Beigoma replied. "There weren't that many kids around my age where I lived so I hung out by myself a lot."

"So you're a bookworm too, eh?" Jose asked. "I guess that explains your eidetic memory regarding quotes. Everything you quote you've read somewhere once before? Am I right?"

"Yeah, exactly," said Beigoma.

"Then why no manga quotes?" Keiko asked.

Beigoma's cheeks blushed red and then she giggled in an awkward manner. "Well, I used to have a bad habit about doing that. With how much manga I read, about every other sentence out of my mouth was from one of the ones I read. My teacher taught me how to correct it though so it's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but sometimes an occasional quote from Jump or the like slips out."

"Intriguing, we may be more alike than I thought," said Jose.

All of a sudden Connie got a very intense look in her eyes. "Mademoiselle Daffodil, you must teach me everything there is to know about this how you say, shoujo manga!" she exclaimed.

"Huh, why?" Beigoma asked.

"In order to truly live up to my designation as a kamidere I must eventually find true love, no?! Then if that's le case I want to know everything there is to know about shoujo! I wish to become irresistible in les eyes of my true love!" Connie exclaimed with passion.

"Well if that's the case then sure, I'd be happy to help," Beigoma replied.

"Tre fantastique! In la end, I shall become irresistible to la person who's caught my eye! This I swear on le name of le Takemi Time Keepers!"

"Why do I have a bad feeling all of a sudden?" Shiro asked.

"Because when steam punks get motivated they do crazy shit," Jonathan replied.

"Hey people, while this discussion may be interesting to you all, it puts me to sleep," said Monokuma. "Enough stalling, get back to the class trial already or I'll just execute you all and call it a day!" the robotic bear shouted.

"Wait a second," said Nodaka.

"What now little tsundere maid?" Monokuma asked.

"I am not a tsundere, everybody stop calling me that," Nodaka replied with embarrassment. Then she cleared her throat and regained her serious composure. "I have something I need to ask Akira before we move on."

"Me? What do you need to ask me, Hoshi-san?" I replied.

"I know that you said before that you couldn't really remember anything before you woke up here this morning, and I know that it's because of the side effects of your memories being erased but if there's even a chance that you might remember I have to know for sure. Does the name Nakatsukaze mean anything to you?"

"Nakatsukaze? Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" I asked.

"I just have to know okay. Nakatsukaze? Ring any bells?"

"No sorry, I don't know anyone by that name," I replied.

Nodaka frowned. "How about Kakushin? Do you remember anybody with that name?"

I scratched my head in confusion. "Nope, I don't know anyone with that name either. Look, what's this all about?"

Nodaka's frown deepened. "There's no point in trudging up the past if you've forgotten. If you want I can talk to you after we get out of here, but don't pry right now. I need to collect my thoughts."

"Hoshi-san?" I called out to her but she didn't answer me. After I told her that I couldn't remember the people she was referring to she looked crestfallen. It was almost like the air had been knocked out of her. 'Nodaka? Why do you look so concerned? And what's all this about trudging up the past? Could it be? Do we really know each other?' I asked myself.

"So basically you two might know each other but there's no way of knowing since Akira's forgotten all about everything, is that about right?" Nate asked, summing up the situation. "Well how about it Nodaka…-san," he tacked on at the last second, "Do you know Akira? Were you guys in a relationship or something?"

"…" Nodaka remained silent. It was as if she had completely spaced out. My responses to her questions must have crushed her, but for what reason I had no idea.

"Let's not pry any further, clearly it's a touchy subject since one of them has lost their memory," said Micho. "Anyways, here Maita-kun. I kept it safe for you, just like you asked," Micho said as she passed the note along to me.

"Thanks Auruka-san," I unfolded the note and raised it up in the air so the others could see it. "As you can see it's a crumpled up note that simply says _I'm sorry Hajime_ on it. Auruka-san and I found it tucked away in Hinata-kun's shirt, and at first this made us think that the killer was showing remorse for their crime by either warning Hajime in advance of what was going to happen, or planting on his body just after he was killed. Now what are your questions regarding this?" I asked.

"Well your working theory is that I am really Junko Enoshima, and I took the place of the Ultimate Imposter, who was playing the role of Chiaki Nanami, and who also suffered from DID, correct?" Junko asked. "Well I just want to know why you don't think that this note supports the theory that I the Ultimate Imposter, do indeed have DID and the Chiaki Nanami personality in my head is apologizing to her dead boyfriend for having a hand in his murder? I mean did you not read the engraving in that wooden box he buried Mukuro's knife in? He seemed to think that I really had DID, as a matter of fact he believed me completely when I said that I really thought I was Chiaki. Don't you think these things prove that I am indeed the Ultimate Imposter without a doubt?"

"The fact that you even have to pose it has a question means that you know there's evidence to prove you wrong, after all you were the original Mastermind," I replied. "Here's what I think, I think that Hinata-kun had almost everything figured out. Someone was hiding and spreading despair, but in the carving it's implied by him that he thinks this was the work of the Ultimate Imposter, who triggered by DID took on the personality of Junko Enoshima herself by using the knife to channel her. But I think with all the chaos, and robot bears, and high school kid terrorists that were plaguing Hinata-kun's life he forgot one simple thing. To recognize nonsense as nonsense when it's staring you right in the face. I mean come on, think about it rationally for a second? I'll admit that the Ultimate Imposter did exist and they were in league with Junko Enoshima but do you really think that they would develop DID so severe that they would create twenty-eight different personalities for themselves to play us because they gave into despair? Think about all that we've heard and seen about Ultimate Despair, do you honestly think that any of them would show remorse for their actions? And I mean true Ultimate Despair, not the few good ones like Ikusaba-chan, Kamukura-kun, and Komaeda-kun."

"Think more like Mikan Tsumiki and it should be understandable how perverse and cruel Ultimate Despair is. DID is born from someone who experiences trauma, how would this situation be considered anything but a good time to freaks like them? And Hinata-kun finally realized that didn't he?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" Junko asked.

"I mean you went on pretending to be Chiaki Nanami, for what two more years? And no one suspected anything, but then when you and Hajime were the only ones left you revealed to him that the real Chiaki Nanami had died quite some time ago and that the Ultimate Imposter pretended to be her from the very start of the Killing School Life, and he got angry, depressed, and emotionally distraught beyond compare. Which was your plan wasn't it? Your plan to make him fall into despair?" I asked.

Junko narrowed her eyes at me.

"I think that your plan was to make Hinata-kun fall into despair by filling him with these half-truths and seeing how long it took him to go mad. This was your endgame, the coup de grace to the crown jewel of your empire of despair. You had to give the viewers a big finale, and what's more despair filling than finding out that everything you've ever known was just a big lie? And the things you told him did break him, but only for a little while isn't that right?" I asked.

"…" Junko remained silent.

"I think I get it now; it really is all just a big game to you. You get your kicks off seeing how long it takes before your victims snap, you're a sociopath to the very core so you fed Hinata-kun all this crap about the Ultimate Imposter so he would be crushed under the weight of the despair, and it almost worked. But something happened, something that ruined your end game and instead forced you to kill him. He finally figured out the truth didn't he? I mean what else was he supposed to do but think back on how everything went wrong. The first day of the Killing School Life, all his friends dying one by one, until finally came the day Junko Enoshima apparently died. He figured out the same things we did, most likely from finding Kirigiri-san's journal in the same place Komaeda-kun found it. And that's when he realized the truth. Not only was the Ultimate Imposter pretending to be his girlfriend, but somebody else was pretending to be the Ultimate Imposter. And like an idiot he fell for it and was about to give up and end his life. But figuring out the truth changed things didn't it? He suddenly found himself filled with not hope, nor despair, but vengeance. The vengeance to avenge his friends, he was going to kill you and you knew it."

"Wait are you saying…?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, I guess Izuru was at least telling half the truth. Hinata-kun met up with his killer at the meeting time specified in the note because he knew what she was planning to do. He knew that she knew that he was on to her now and was out for her blood, so she saw the only option she had left was to kill him before he could kill her. He knew it was a trap, but the fact that she was trying to do this to him now meant that she was scared, so he went anyway to finally confront her," I explained.

"But we've been over this, why would he have gone without protection if he really did intend to kill his killer?" Sawa asked.

"Oh God not this damn problem again!" Deva shouted.

"Actually I think he did have protection with him, but because of Izuru's interference we were lead to believe that the only weapon involved in the murder was the survival knife, when really there was another one wasn't there?" I asked Izuru. "I thought it was odd that her case was the only person's who was already opened, the killer probably placed it back there but you were the person who flipped the case up as a clue that it was important, weren't you?"

Izuru smirked. "You never cease to amaze me, just when I think you've reached your limit of potential you surprise me yet again."

"Wait so Hinata-kun took one of the weapons in the Final Destination Museum for protection?" Micho asked.

"That's correct, and I think I know how I can prove it," I replied. 'I just need to call on that person for help. They have the weapon on them after all.'

* * *

MAKE AN ACCUSATION

* * *

I scanned over the faces of my friends until my eyes fell on Nodaka. "You're the only one!" I exclaimed.

"Hoshi-san?" I called out to her again, and this time she finally responded.

"He used Peko-sama's sword didn't he?" Nodaka asked.

"If my theory is correct, then yes he did," I replied. "Could you show us the blade just to be sure?" I asked.

Nodaka nodded and then took the Shinai bag off of her back and untied it. Then she pulled out the elegant and well-crafted katana that was inside. She reached for the handle and pulled out the blade. And low and behold, I was right. On the very edge of the blade there was a splash of bright pink color on an otherwise blood-covered blade. The old blood was Peko Pekoyama's but I knew the fresh blood that was also on it could've only belonged to one person. I turned to Junko. "You didn't get that cut from the knife did you? All the blood on it belongs to Hinata-kun. But that blood, that's yours isn't it?" I asked as I pointed at the pink blot on the katana blade.

Junko tensed up and retracted her right hand.

NEW AMMUNITION ACQUIRED: PEKO'S SWORD

"He must've given you a hell of a fight," I replied. "I bet even you couldn't see that he was planning to bring a sword to a knife party. He clearly had the advantage over you, which is why you ended up having to incapacitate him by slamming his head into the iron window plate so you could get your killing blow, then after that you just kept stabbing him until he lost to much blood and died from exsanguination. And that is my theory on what happened, you want it clarified?"

Junko glared a look of death at me.

"I'd be glad too," I replied with a smug smirk.

* * *

CLOSING ARGUMENT: TRUTH EDITION

* * *

 **Warning:** Before the start of Truth Edition you will be asked to prove which panels, or acts, in the suspect's closing argument are false, and then choose from the evidence you have gathered how you can prove that the panel is indeed false. As previously stated, the false panels in this argument are two in total, but be ready for the number to increase as the game goes on. When you have removed the false panels you will expose the weakness in your suspect's story and will be able to initiate your own closing argument, this time telling what really happened. And that's about all you need to know. See you again at the last minigame.

WHICH PANELS ARE FALSE?

 _Act #1_

 _Act #2_

 _Act #3_

 _Act #4_

 _Act #5_

 _Act #6_

(1st right decision: **Act #4** ; Ammunition needed: **Byakuya Togami?** ) "That's not right!" I exclaimed. "We heard from you yourself when you were pretending to be Togami-kun that Hinata-kun was the one who took the photo, not Koizumi-san."

"Well I could have just been lying again? How do you know I wasn't?" Junko asked.

"Hinata-kun taking the picture is the only explanation that makes any sense, it was most likely how you convinced him that you had DID. While we thought before that someone took this picture of the Ultimate Imposter when they weren't looking, if you look at it from a different point of view it might be in fact just the opposite. You knew Hinata-kun was there when he took the photo, it was part of your plan to convince him of your identity," I explained.

"Well smart guy, if Hajime was the one who took the photo then who broke the camera?" Junko asked.

"That was also you," I replied. "By intentionally breaking the camera you made us think that the killer was trying to destroy some damning evidence that would prove their identity but again if you think about it rationally, isn't it kind of odd that despite how busted the camera was the internal memory was still fully intact. Yano-kun said himself that such a thing happening is very unlikely," I explained.

"Yeah, it is," Cam added. "The only way a thing like that could happen is if someone was very careful in only making it appear to be broken by damaging non-essential parts," Cam explained.

"So there you have it, the picture itself is just another red herring incriminating the Ultimate Imposter," I said.

Junko grunted. "Very well, I guess I'll accept that answer. But what else about my claims are false?"

(2nd right decision: **Act #6** ; Ammunition needed: **Peko's sword** ) "That's a lie!" I exclaimed. "I think the sword proves without a doubt that things did not go the way you said at all. Hinata-kun brought the sword with him fully expecting you to kill him, and the only reason he would do that was if he figured out your true identity, Junko Enoshima."

Junko giggled. "You can say it as many times as you want, it doesn't make it true. Junko's dead, I'm only pretending to be her. I'm just a copycat, nowhere near the original."

"Let's see what you're saying after I present my case," I replied.

"Here's what really happened," I said. "From the very beginning, Junko Enoshima planned to make her fellow students fall into despair through the use of the mutual killing game. Participating in the game herself was probably just a means to keep herself from being discovered as the leader of Ultimate Despair, while at the same time being able to bear witness to the other students' despair up close and personal. And to help her accomplish this task she had eyes and ears all over the academy, in the form of her three helpers, Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Imposter, and the new Mastermind who is unknown at this present time. (Act #1-A giant Junko-shaped shadow is shown leering over the Academy, showing that her reach as the original Ultimate Despair is great. The students are shown trapped inside classroom 5-C, all of them are still knocked out from being kidnapped besides Mikan, the Ultimate Imposter disguised as Chiaki, and Junko herself. The three of them are shown conversing with each other as well as Monokuma, they are most likely discussing the plan for the Killing School Life.) "And while participating in this game the three girls, or maybe the two girls and the boy, assumed adapted to the identities that others knew them for having. All the while hiding who they truly were on the inside. (Junko and her followers pretend to wake up along with the rest of the students and act confused along with them. Monokuma then appears and tells the students all about the Killing School Life, and then presents them with several weapons which they can use to kill each other and escape. And then the eight students who died in classroom 5-C are shown killing themselves in each of their individual panels.) "As we all know eight of the students died in the first phase of the Killing School Life, Peko Pekoyama, Mondo Owada, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Gundham Tanaka, Leon Kuwata, Hifumi Yamada, Sonia Nevermind, and finally Akane Owari. Then when eight of the students were finally dead the remaining survivors were able to leave the classroom and explore the rest of the academy. But to their dismay they found that like before, there was no escape unless they killed one another. And to make matters worse Monokuma informed them that Ultimate Despair had taken their friends and families as hostages to be used for leverage to make them kill each other, promising that the winner of the Killing School Life would be allowed to leave the academy and be reunited with their loved ones. However, Monokuma also offered another means for saving their families, if they killed someone and accumulated enough points through this odd point system he created that he would release their loved ones, even if the student didn't manage to escape being found out."

(Act #2- the surviving students of classroom 5-C realize that there is no escape from the academy and that they will be forced to remain their whole lives here unless they kill each other. To make matters worse, Monokuma informs them of Ultimate Despair's leverage against them through the use of video threats, horrifying the students and making them even more paranoid.) "Maizono-chan was the first person to kill in order to rescue her idol friends, but unlike Ultimate Despair predicted she didn't intend to murder one of her friends. Instead she planned to kill herself and accumulate enough points through the point system so her idol friends would be safe from harm. And after that the rest of the students followed suit, one by one killing themselves in order to save their loved ones…and at the same time finally free themselves from the despair. And things went on like that for almost four years, until one day when Kirigiri-san decided to solve the mysteries of the academy once and for all." (Sayaka is shown stabbing herself with a kitchen knife in her dormitory bathroom in an effort to save her idol friends. Then the remaining students are shown mourning for her and their other eight fallen friends by praying at an altar that Mahiru and Hiyoko made. Then the other students are shown killing themselves in the panel per person style shown in Act #1.)

"Kirigiri-san claimed that she had managed to create a makeshift fingerprinting kit using supplies that she found around the school, and then she claimed to the other students that if the Mastermind was hiding among them then they would've surely left fingerprints behind at some location. So she planned to print each student to determine the identity of the Mastermind. Junko most likely believed that if she had her fingerprints taken then Kirigiri-san would be able to figure out she was the Mastermind, so in order to protect her identity she called upon her master of disguise, Chiaki Nanami, who we now know was the Ultimate Imposter simply taking the place of the dead girl. Either Junko convinced the Ultimate Imposter to go along with her twisted plan to fake her own death or she killed the Ultimate Imposter and took their place as Chiaki Nanami by force. The fact of the matter is that by the end of this plan, Junko took the place of Chiaki Nanami while the Ultimate Imposter took the place of her dead body double. It only helped further her cause that the Ultimate Imposter didn't have fingerprints to ID them, and Junko only increased the impossibility of identifying the Ultimate Imposter as her body double by destroying any physical features, making the perfect Junko body double. And the real Junko took the place of Chiaki Nanami AKA the Ultimate Imposter without anyone ever being the wiser."

(Act #3- Junko invites Chiaki, the Ultimate Imposter to her room and tells her that she must find some way to throw Kyoko off of her trail. She theorizes the only way that she can escape suspicion as the Mastermind is to die herself so she would have a perfect alibi in the event that her secret did come out. Chiaki, the Ultimate Imposter, realizes by the frightened look on their face that this is the end for them, and dresses up as Junko just like she asks of them. But they do not even think to try and run away, instead they stand perfectly still with their arms stretched out awaiting for the end. An end, that Junko soon delivers to them by thrusting a large spear of Gungnir through the imposter's chest, over and over again until they are dead from the tremendous loss of blood. Then, spear in tow Junko obliterates the traces of the imposter's face with slash mark after slash mark until finally the Ultimate Imposter is dead on the floor, an unrecognizable, Junko-shaped pound of bloody flesh. Junko then completes he roll switch and dresses up as Chiaki Nanami, but not before smiling mischievously at the thought of the despair that will come from these actions.)

"And so things went on like usual without anyone being the wiser of Junko's transformation save besides the other Mastermind and her beloved Tsumiki-san. And she kept her head down until the day Fuyuhiko died. But of course that was when Ikusaba-san's knife reappeared, and how Kuzuryuu-kun got his hands onto it is still a mystery up until now. So here's what I think happened. Junko revealed herself to Kuzuryuu-kun and began to immediately fill him with despair over the loss of his sister, his family, and the many friends, including Pekoyama-san, who's corpses he had to step over to make it this far. Junko may have been trying to conceal her existence as Nanami-san but I believe that after the other students found out who Junko really was in the suicide note she left that a momentary reprieve was felt by them, and they began to feel hopeful now that the Ultimate Despair was no more. At that point Kuzuryuu-kun was hanging on by a thread and Junko reappearing before his eyes is what finally made him give into despair, after all it was her talent as the Ultimate Despair to know all of his dark little secrets, including the murder he committed in the past. It's not that hard for her to convince someone to cut their stomach open. And thus the despair began again." (Act #4- Fuyuhiko is shown entering the AV room and is immediately greeted by the sight of Chiaki. It appears that she summoned him here. And after a short chat Chiaki reveals that she's really Junko and embraces a wicked smile at the look of despair that appears on Fuyuhiko's face. She confronts him with all his past sins, and in his most vulnerable moments convinces him that all the people he cared about's deaths are his fault, because he was too weak to prevent them. And she makes him think that the only way he can atone for his sins is by paying for them with his life. She presents Fuyuhiko with Mukuro's knife, all the while having a welcoming smile on her face, to which Fuyuhiko replies too with a smile that's part fear and insanity. And the rest is history, Fuyuhiko dies as a self-declared coward, and incidentally Chiaki is the first person to discover Fuyuhiko's body.)

"Things after that were tough for the others, we know this because in that time they found out about the fate of their loved ones who were killed in the crossfire of a battle in Towa City, and all the while Junko was just laughing in the background with anyone still unaware that she wasn't Chiaki. Just like before when she was still just known as the Ultimate Fashionista, she was good at wearing a mask when she had to. Until finally, all that remained were her and Hinata-kun, and this was when Junko decided to put her greatest plan into action to drive Hinata-kun into despair so deep that he may never resurface. She told him that she was really the Ultimate Imposter who had taken the place of the original Nanami-san before they even came here, and as you could imagine he was really upset that the one person who had kept him from ending it all was just a big fake the whole time, the only thing was he didn't realize how big of a fake she really was. She managed to convince through her manipulative ways that she was indeed the Ultimate Imposter and that she was suffering from DID and starting to hear the voices of the other students talking to her. As you could imagine since our killer is already as psychotic as they come it wasn't that difficult to pull off the crazy act. And Hinata-kun bought it hook, line, and sinker, making him unknowingly do her bidding by asking ridiculous things from him like burying Ikusaba-chan's knife so she could later retrieve it for future use all under the pretext that it was to prevent some evil Junko persona from coming to life. And Hinata-kun did it to escape the fate from ever seeing Junko again, all the while unaware that she was hiding right under his nose."

(Act #5- Chiaki is shown revealing her identity as the Ultimate Imposter to Hajime, who is all the while in complete shock. One night, he takes a picture of Chiaki as she is in her room and is frightened to see that she has taken on the form of Byakuya. Then at Chiaki's request Hajime buries Mukuro's knife in the botanical garden, but not before carving a message into the box he hid the knife in. Chiaki watches from afar and smiles wickedly at him.) "And that's when Kirigiri-san's diary came into the picture. Hinata-kun must have stumbled onto the secret room Komaeda-kun said it was hidden in one afternoon while innocently using the bathroom. And that's when he discovered that Kirigiri-san's diary was hidden there as well, and as he looked through it he read about the discrepancies that Kirigiri-san found in Junko's suicide, the discrepancies being Junko's absence of fingerprints and how the mutilation of her corpse made proper identification possible. And that's when Hinata-kun figured out what we just figured out a short while ago, the only person who would benefit from having their identity hidden so thoroughly would be the Ultimate Imposter themselves, and that's when he read the part about the only other fingerprints found in Junko's room were Chiaki's. It was official, Junko Enoshima was really alive." (Hajime is shown stumbling upon the secret room in the 2nd floor boys' bathroom, and then finding Kyoko's diary. He finds out the truth of what really happened the day Junko died based upon the clues Kyoko left behind and that's when his endless depression and despair turned into anger and a thirst for vengeance. A serious look appears on Hajime's face as he closes the diary. He knows what he has to do.)

"A little while later Junko found out that something was off with Hinata-kun and then found out that he had figured out the truth, and it would only be a matter of time before he came to kill her. So in a desperate attempt to save her own skin, Junko decided to initiate a preemptive strike. She sent a note to Hinata-kun's room, telling him to meet her at classroom 5-C at 1:00 AM to discuss something. This was it, he knew she was gunning for him, so he would be gunning for her as well. Before heading to the designated meeting place he ransacked the Final Destination Museum and took Pekoyama-san's sword to use as a weapon. Then when he arrived at classroom 5-C he was surprised to see Junko appear as her actual self, well almost her actual self, we know she was also wearing Naegi-kun's clothes at this point. Hinata-kun saw that she had the knife with her and immediately pulled out Pekoyama-san's sword for protection. A battle ensued between the two survivors and at one point in the conflict Hinata-kun even managed to get the upper hand and inflict a nasty cut on Junko, but this made Junko mad and in a fit of rage she bashed Hinata-kun's head against one of the iron plates covering the windows of classroom 5-C, incapacitating him and allowing Junko to stab him without hesitation." (Act #6- Hajime receives the note from Junko and then heads to the Final Destination Museum and swipes Peko's sword to use for protection. And when he arrives at classroom 5-C he's greeted with the sight of the real Junko who's wearing Makoto's old clothes. They fight and Hajime managed to inflict a gash on her right palm but Junko counters and smashes his head into an iron plate, knocking him out of the fight and allowing her the opportunity to kill him.)

"After it was all done Junko set up multiple red herrings in an effort to make us believe the same thing as Hinata-kun, that the killer was the Ultimate Imposter and they were suffering from a severe case of DID, which lead us down a false path from the very beginning. And it didn't help that her two puppets, Izuru and Komaeda-kun were in on it too. Her plan was most likely to use them to frustrate us and lead us away from the truth, and if it wasn't for their heroism in standing up to her we would've never reached this conclusion." I glared at Junko. "Junko Enoshima, it was all you!" I exclaimed.

* * *

COMPLETE

* * *

"And that's the truth. The whole truth and nothing but," I said.

"J-Junko?" Mukuro called out to her sister. "Is it really you?"

"After all that evidence Aki gave I'm completely convinced, she is definitely your crazy sister, Muku," said Jonathan.

"So it really is true? Junko Enoshima has been behind all of this from the very beginning? Even going so far as to fake her own death?" Micho asked in surprise.

"The Ultimate Imposter was an imposter all along, now that is a shocking twist," Jose said with a smug grin.

"But like for real?! She's really alive?!" Aya exclaimed.

"It would appear so, if anyone is capable of pulling off something elaborate like this it would have to be someone befitting of the title Ultimate Despair," said Yasuke. "But still to think it's really true."

"So she is responsible for all of it, not just Hinata's murder but every single horrible thing that happened in this God forsaken place?" Nodaka asked. "Well then what are we waiting for, let's get to the punishment already! Let's kill this bitch right now!"

"No wait, I have to be sure this time because this is as shocking to me as it is to the rest of you all," said Nagito. "Izuru-kun and I only knew that she participated in the Killing School Life, and all our instructions were given to us through the other Mastermind, the one controlling Monokuma at this point and time," Nagito explained. "She's pulled far more nefarious tricks in the past, believe you me. How can we be so sure that she really is Junko-chan?"

"Komaeda-kun, have you forgotten already? You yourself said as much after all," I explained. (Ammunition needed: **Nagito's testimony** ). "That's it!" I exclaimed.

"You yourself said that only a monster could know the true nature of another monster. You were originally baffled by the fact that the Ultimate Imposter knew about the other half of Tsumiki-san, remember?" I asked.

 **Flashback:**

 _Nagito still looked shocked. "H-How? How did you know that this is what she was really like? Only monsters should be able to sense other monsters. You couldn't have known that this was her true personality otherwise."_

 _Mikan giggled wickedly again as a malevolent smile contorted her face. "Well it looks to me like you've got two choices. Either, the Ultimate Imposter is a more of a monster than you give them credit for or I am the real Mikan Tsumiki simply trapped in a prison of flesh and bone. Well this was fun but it looks like it's time for me to go now."_

" _This doesn't make any sense," Nagito said to himself. "_ _ **Only two people should know about Mikan's true self**_ _, and I'm one of them. How did the Ultimate Imposter find out?"_

"That other person you mentioned, it was Junko wasn't it?" I asked.

Nagito's eyes widened. "No way. It's true, that's the only way it all makes sense. That's how she could copy Mikan-chan so perfectly, she'd actually seen that side to her just as I had." Nagito turned to face Junko. "You really are Junko-chan, aren't you?"

"It's time to stop hiding Junko, they know everything. And as you've already heard, I quit, I don't need your protection anymore. I will be your lapdog no longer. It seems like your sister's not the only one who's turned traitor on you. The same goes for Komaeda-kun, his goal is to destroy you after all so you probably should have seen that one coming," said Izuru.

"It's true, all three of us have betrayed you," said Nagito with a newly reclaimed smile. "Now it's just you up against the students that you tried to crush with despair. Their hope versus your despair, I can't wait to see the outcome. But I already know the ending since you are guilty of murder, too bad, the conflict would make this all the sweeter."

"It's your move Junko, what's it going to be? Do you give up or am I still going to have to convince you?" I asked.

Junko just stared at us all for a few moments, not bothering to utter a single word. Until finally she smiled and opened her mouth. "I just have one last thing to say," I braced myself for yet another rebuttal but instead I heard something unexpected. "Congratulations, you all pass!" she exclaimed.

"Seriously, how long are you going to keep playing with…wait, what?!" I exclaimed.

Junko half closed her eyes in a demeaning way and then she cocked her head to the side. "Yep, you heard me. You guys pass with flying colors. Each and every one of you have exceeded my expectations. Oh, this is just too great. Twenty fresh, hopeful young students for me to fuck up all I want. I'm in hog heaven right now!"

"What are you talking about now you psycho?" Nate asked.

"Why my little assassin, have you already forgotten? This was just a test, Monokuma said so at the very beginning didn't he? This whole mystery was just one big test to see what you guys were capable of, and I'm happy to say that you all passed." Junko pretended to cry and began wiping at imaginary tears. "Oh this must be how teachers feel when their students have nothing left to learn from them. You're all going onto bigger and better things, and Junko-sensei is so proud of you!"

"She's making less and less sense by the minute, isn't she?" Cam asked.

"More like by the second," Deva replied.

"So this really was just a test for the Killing Despairadise then?" Micho asked. "The mutual killing game you're going to have us compete in?"

"Oh Micho-chan, you think so small. The Killing Despairadise is much more than another mutual killing game. It's THE mutual killing game. It's the game to end all games, it's so great it's impossible to picture without actually seeing it in action," said Junko.

"Wait, hold up. First thing's first Junko, you and I need to have a little talk," said Mukuro, trying her best to hold back her temper.

All of a sudden Junko's expression changed. She looked really crestfallen now, almost like someone had sucked all the positivity out of the room. Her new dour demeanor was complimented by a series of sad lines and a series of mushrooms on her head. "Geez Mukuro, why do you always have to rain on my parade?" Junko asked in a negative tone. "Sometimes it's almost impossible to think that we're related, and twin sisters at that. Can you imagine how crappy that is, when twins aren't even on the same page? We're nothing like the twins shown on TV, not the Mowrys, or the Olsens, or even the Sprouses. As twins, we're completely passé, I bet you can't even tell what I'm thinking right now, can you? Oh but wait, I bet I can tell what you're thinking. You're thinking that your little sister is even more of a homicidal maniac than you, the legendary Ultimate Soldier. You're so mad at me for getting your friends and your crush to fall into despair, even though you were the one who helped me make this plan a reality in the first place. And now, you want me to shut the hell up judging by that vein that's starting to pop in your big ass forehead. But I don't wanna, being quiet suuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkksssss. Why can't you ever just let me do what I want without receiving a lecture from you? I mean we both know that you kind of suck at being a big sister. Oh God, it's so despairful to know that I'm the younger one and I have to listen to the bigger one no matter what. Why couldn't I have been born first? Such despair."

"Junko! Answer me! What happened?! None of this is like what you told me! You said they weren't even going to die! You said you were just going to brainwash them like all the others! You had me record that stupid song again so you could do just that! You never told me you were going to do the same thing all over again!" Mukuro shouted at her sister.

"Wait what song, what's all this about a song?" I asked.

Junko's personality shifted again. This time she took on the form of a mature-looking teacher. She tied her hair back up into a single ponytail, put on a pair of fake glasses, and pulled out a book and a pointer stick from nowhere. As an added measure she also undid one of the buttons on her top, for obvious reasons…if you're into that thing I guess. "Allow me to explain. While we used the notes of the Ultimate Neurologist to obtain access to mind-erasing abilities the brain-washing to turn people into Ultimate Despair is a bit more advanced than that. While mind-erasing we simply delete memories from a person's brain, using our all-powerful brain-washing we completely rewrite a person's brain, using technology and abilities obtained from many Ultimate students from various fields. The brain-washing process is extensive to prepare but it only needs to occur for a split second for anybody to be affected. It's sort of like subliminal messaging with an added twist of despair mixed in for good measure. Now then, did I explain everything to your liking class?"

"Subliminal messages hebi? That sounds a lot like Azami-tan's hypnosis experiments hebi!" Azami exclaimed in fear. "Did Ultimate Despair touch Azami-tan's notes too hebi?!" Azami exclaimed in anger that was unlike her.

"Perhaps, the findings of the Ultimate Oculist do present great strides in the field of hypnosis. So it is entirely possible that your work was used as well, but if that is indeed the case then you are just as guilty as Yasuke-kun is for coming up with his mind-erasing technology," Junko replied.

"You manipulative bitch," Yasuke replied.

"However, I cannot say for sure because that would be telling, and if I do that you might try to do something naughty like finding a way to reverse the brain-washing process. I will tell you however that the trigger to initiate the brain-washing's effects is as indeed as Mukuro said, a song. One of the most hope-inspiring songs in all of creation to be exact. _Tsubasa wo Kudasai_ ," said Junko.

"Wait, that song from freaking _Neon Genesis: Evangelion_ you've got to be kidding me?! Whose idiotic idea was that?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

Beigoma gasped. "That's one of the best songs in all of existence! I agree with Junmaru-kun! How could you take that beautiful melody and pervert it to be used for brain-washing?! How dare you, that is unforgivable?! Unforgivable!" Beigoma exclaimed.

"Um, actually I think he was saying how it was kind of ridiculous to use an anime song to brain-wash people," said Shiro.

"But it works, you should ask Mukuro here," said Junko. "Do you know how many people she brainwashed by singing that same song? At least half of the members of Ultimate Despair exist because of her horrible singing, and never once did she question my actions. Honestly, I do not understand why she's become so high strung over you particular students, she may have even brainwashed you and you'd have no way of knowing. That class, is what we call by definition despair."

"We don't care about what she did in the past," I replied. "It's the person that she is now that matters to us, and no matter what you say you can't change that! We've already decided that Mukuro Ikusaba is our friend! And I will not forgive anyone who bad mouths my friends!" I shouted at Junko.

"Maita?" she replied in surprise at what I said.

"It's true Mukuro Onee-chan, no matter what you did, it's all in the past. It doesn't matter to me, despite all of the bad things you've done I know you still have a good heart. And that's what counts," said Beigoma. "And don't listen to her, I'm sure if anyone can sing that song in a beautiful way it's you. As a matter of fact, when this is all over I'm going to have you sing that song in front of everyone just to prove it."

"You…you don't have to go that far," Mukuro said in embarrassment. "Plus, if you all are really brainwashed then the song might activate the despair that's been planted inside you."

Junko shifted personalities again. This time she pulled a crown out of nowhere and started talking in a very bad British accent. "It hardly matters now you insolent pests. My true plan has already been accomplished, you all have learned to trust one another. I have succeeded at last."

"Wait, you want us to trust each other? I don't understand, I thought the whole point of the mutual killing game was to get us to distrust each other to the point where we commit murder to escape. Isn't getting us to trust each other counterproductive to that goal?" Micho asked.

"Like I said before, you peons think too small. There's a reason this mutual killing game shall be better than any other in existence. The Killing Despairadise breaks all the laws previously established, it pushes all the walls, and makes the players and audience feel like there is no escape period! It is the crown jewel in my empire of despair! And you all are the ones who shall make me and this game immortal! Necessary sacrifices to finally prove to the watching world which ideal is better, hope or despair! A final all-out, no bars grudge match to decide the fate of the world!"

"I don't understand, what does this have to do with you killing the others?" Mukuro asked.

"The other students were mere pawns that were too insignificant to even be aware that there was an endgame, much less the details of said endgame. No, you all are the real main attraction. The Killing Despairadise students, more hopeful and optimistic than any other class that has ever come to Hope's Peak Academy. And now thanks to me your hope has doubled, no tripled in its power. You're all cooked to perfection, I'm just licking my lips now thinking of the rich flavor that will unfold from this great dish!"

"You're making no sense at all, and why the hell do you keep switching personalities on us?!" Nate shouted.

"Think about it and I'm sure you will understand, you lowly peons. You're right in saying that the point of you playing this game is so I can broadcast your despair all over the globe and get even more people to fall into despair, but there's more to it than that. What do you think would happen if instead of telling the players automatically that they cannot escape capture unless they kill each other you let them have a different start from the others? The plan that I had for you lot was to overcome despair at the very beginning by learning the value of teamwork to solve this convoluted case. Who killed Hajime Hinata? With that question in mind and your lives on the line you all played your hearts out in hopes of survival. And though you faltered many times and were on the verge of giving up and giving into despair you all still pushed through and managed to make it this far and learning to trust one another. That's where you differ from the others, instead of being thrust into this situation with complete strangers I have given you all an opportunity to learn to trust each other and work to fight a common enemy, namely me and Ultimate Despair. At this point in time you know far more than the other students ever knew when they began their games, therefore you have an advantage in the mutual killing game due to your overwhelming trust and resolve," Junko explained. "Now just imagine what kind of reaction you guys would get if even after everything you've been together today, after all the mysteries you've solved and secrets you've uncovered by helping one another push past the despair that you still end up killing one another. You would be at your wits' end right? That is the point of this game, to prove that no matter how great you trust a person, if given a good enough reason they will still stab you in the back in the end. Now Ultimate Despair is going to prove to you guys that your trust in each other isn't worth shit when faced with insurmountable odds. That is why I say that your despair is going to be truly delicious."

"You made us go through all that, just to get us to trust each other more?" Keiko asked in shock. Then she growled and shouted, "Where the hell do you get off?! Do you know what kind of madness we've been enduring all day long! And now you say it's just to prove a point that we can't trust each other even if we've helped each other come so far?! Well fuck you, after all that I've been through today if I couldn't call these people my friends then I would be just as insane as you!"

"Same here, these are my peons! If you want them you've got to pry them from my cold dead claws you witch!" Deva shouted.

"You don't scare me, not as long as I'm with them!" Sawa exclaimed.

"All for one, and one for all, no?!" Connie exclaimed.

"We will not back down, not as long as we are all together!" Micho exclaimed.

"These dudes have been cooler to me than anybody else has in my entire life! Like hell I'm going to betray them now!" Nate shouted.

"I have to say, after all the shit that these idiots and I have dealt with today that if I didn't call them my friends I'd be one cold-hearted bastard," said Jonathan.

"Yeah, they're my friends too! I will believe in them no matter what!" Shiro exclaimed.

"We might be weak individually, but together we're one action-packed school of fish! To all you Ultimate Despair sharks watching us, I say come and get it!" Aya exclaimed.

"As long as I have Chihiro-chan and the others I will never be alone," said Cam.

"I will never hurt any of my friends. Never, ever, ever," said Chihiro.

Azami hissed at Junko. "You'll stay away from Azami-tan's friends if you know what's good for you hebi!"

"Kira Onii-chan and Mukuro Onee-chan, they're my precious siblings! And everyone else has become like family as well, and I would never ever turn my back on my family!" Beigoma exclaimed.

"I agree, they're actually surprisingly helpful. It would be a shame if something happened to them," said Jose.

"I don't care if you do promise me a free ticket out of this hellhole, I would never leave any of them behind! We're all getting out of here together and that's that!" Yasuke shouted.

"I couldn't agree more; I can't imagine life without these guys. They're too interesting to be left alone, I simply must see what their combined hope will amount too," said Nagito.

"Me too, after everything I've put them through I would never forgive myself if I turned my back on them now. They are my friends, my precious friends that I want to protect with everything I have," said Mukuro.

"I'll admit, even now I have my doubts that this will end well. But I've seen what they are capable of and I truly do believe that they have a shot. So I will do my best to help them in any way I can," said Izuru.

"I've only ever had a few true friends, and that was mostly in childhood," said Nodaka. "I know how I can be sometimes so it's no wonder I didn't have more than that. But for the first time in my life I think I've found something that I truly want to be a part of. These people, they are my friends and I will do anything I can to keep them safe. This time for sure, I will keep them from slipping through my fingers because never again. I never want to feel alone ever again!" she shouted.

"Same here," I said. "I want to protect them all, and help them in any way I can. I know I don't have any amazing talent so I'm probably not going to be that useful but I still want to fight by their sides for as long as I can. I am not going to let you or Ultimate Despair take them away from me!" I shouted.

Junko laughed with a haughty attitude. "Yes, that's it my little puppets. Dance! Dance! I command you to dance! Fill me up with your sadness, with your anger, with your hatred! The hopeful attitude you have now will surely blossom into beautiful despair with a little tender care and nurturing! So fear me, detest me, hate me, kill me! You're digging your own graves as I speak! I will make sure that all of this wonderful hope becomes delicious despair, and in the end you puppets will become hollow shells of your former selves! * _Muahahahahahahahaha_ *" Then she did a complete 180 again, and stopped talking in her bad British accent, turning back into the normal Junko…well as normal as Junko can possibly be. "So does that answer your questions? Basically, I want you to work together, that's been the whole point of this test form the very beginning. So anyways, all this endless talking back and forth is getting kind of old, right? Yeah it is, isn't it? This is probably so boring to the audience so let's just move on and I'll tell you that personally I think you're all full of shit."

"…" the air grew tense again.

Then she turned into a cartoonish version of herself, complete with sparkling eyes and big buck teeth. And she started mocking us in a cartoonish voice. " _We're the best of friends, no one's ever going to get us to kill anyone. Ultimate Despair won't win; we will not fall into despair as long as we trust one another and all that noise!"_ Then she turned back to her normal form. "Blah, blah, blah, blahty, blah, blah, blah. That's all I'm hearing. Allow me to clue you guys into a little thing you seem to be misunderstanding. People lie. They lie all the time, whether or not you're aware of it. If people didn't lie to each other than there would be no purpose in life, no conflict at all. It would be so f'ing boring. Now do you really think we're going to show our viewers some dumb romantic light novel where twenty kids stranded in a remote area have the time of their lives getting to know each other and forming bonds that will last a life time? You're kidding, right? I think we've already made this abundantly clear but just in case you misunderstood here it is again. People want to see you kill each other! what about this aren't you morons understanding?! The world is a sick, disgusting place full of people who will stab you in the back at the first chance they get and onlookers who will just watch as you get betrayed from afar, thinking to themselves well it sucks to be that guy but at least that's not me. Do you honestly think I just hypnotized the whole world to get them to turn out like me? You're just finally seeing the world for the cesspool that it really is. I guarantee that someone, somewhere out there is placing bets on which of you will get killed off first. It doesn't matter if you say you're not going to kill each other over and over again, like it or not it's going to happen. I guarantee that one of you is thinking about betraying the others right now due to one simple word. Paranoia."

"Paranoia?" Aya repeated the word in confusion.

"Yes paranoia. A very special form of paranoia that most people don't get to experience, except for criminals. The Prisoner's Dilemma. Imagine that you and your little buddies got arrested for a horrible crime, for instance a gruesome murder, and you have been caught and apprehended by the authorities. A detective visits each of you and says the same thing, if one of you doesn't talk and turn on the others than you're all going to get life in prison. However, in the event that one of you does decide to rat on the others you will receive a plea of leniency and maybe even an opportunity for parole one day, but in exchange for your freedom all your other buddies get the death penalty. In other words, you survive and soon gain your freedom, but only at the cost of the others' lives. But then again the death penalty is only on the table if one of you does decide to snitch, otherwise you all get life in prison, you'll have to remain in said prison until the day you die a natural death but hey at least you're all still friends, right?" Junko explained. "The exact same situation is the very basis for the mutual killing game. Just replace the deal with the detective for murdering one of your other inmates and you're good to go. All I'm saying is, can you really trust your friends not to take the deal? Sure, you say you're not going to commit murder, but what about the others? Can you say for sure that they trust you as much as you trust them? No, you can't. You can't say for sure what's going on in another person's head because you are only you, no one else. Which is why I'm saying that one of you is bluffing about not being able to commit murder, one of you is a dirty little liar, as Nagito said, the blackened."

"…" we all looked around at each other, exchanging paranoid glances.

"Just a little pressure and your trust bridge will come tumbling down. We as human beings may trust each other in order to survive but in this situation it's every man for himself. Eat or be eaten. Betray or be betrayed. Kill or be killed. That's the cold, hard truth of the mutual killing game," said Junko.

"…" we remained silent as dread sunk into our hearts.

"I know everything that's going to happen to you all already. Why? It's because I know exactly what kind of people you are. You delude yourself into thinking you're special but the truth is that you're no different from every other stinking person on this whole stinking planet. In the end, all you ever care about is yourself. Humans are really quite simple to read actually, I guess I'm kind of like Izuru in that aspect," Junko said with a mischievous giggle.

"Don't you dare compare yourself to me, you vile creature," Izuru replied in a harsh tone.

Junko laughed in reply. "Geez, talk about a cold shoulder. I'm just using you as an example to make a point on my genius, simmer down. Now as I was saying, I'm a lot like Izuru in the fact that I too believe that life is too simple. When you learn the patterns of everything so easily the world becomes so very boring. Life is dull. Dull as hell as a matter of fact. Which is why I too longed for uncertainty, the very moments when I never knew what the hell was going to happen next enticed me over and over again. Which is why I fell in love with despair, it gives me the most uncertainty and pleasure. The great thing about despair is that it is limitless, no matter how down in the dumps a person is you can always make them go deeper. It's fun just watching to see how they'll react when you torment them. I live for fun and uncertainty; therefore, I live for despair. Izuru and I are alike more than I care to admit, just replace the title and it's almost like you've got a male version of me."

"Don't flatter yourself. If anyone's like you it's Komaeda-kun, he's as fucked up in the head as you are," Izuru replied.

"It's true, I'm a mess," Nagito added with a smile.

Junko sighed in exasperation. "Forget it. You want to play anti-hero, be my guest, I could give a rat's ass. If that's the way you want it we can be on opposing sides, you vie for hope, and I'll vie for despair. In the end, it doesn't matter. Deep down, we're still the same and you know it, just like deep down in the rest of you I guarantee there's someone like me tucked away in a dark corner. Everybody's got a bad side, deep down we all want to let go and just be animals. Eat, sleep, fuck, and kill, those are the four basic instincts mankind needs to survive. Those and only those. Which is why I'm saying that no matter how hard you try it's impossible to resist in the end, you will eventually give into temptation. Just let go and not care, I did when I was a little girl and I've felt wonderful ever since then. I mean I don't even let my own personality tie me down, that's why I change them so often. I'm truly as free as a bird."

Then Junko changed personalities again. This time her hair looked ragged and her face contorted to a grotesque shape as she stuck her tongue out at us and flashed us a double satanic hand sign. This Junko gave off the appearance of a demon. "So what's it going to be mortals?! Join with me and fuck the Earth to oblivion or continue on with this meaningless charade of self-sacrificing, trusting bull shit?! Make your decision!"

* * *

MAKE A DECISION

* * *

 _Join Junko and Ultimate Despair_

 _Fuck that_

* * *

(Right decision: **choose second option** ). "Junko…fuck you and fuck Ultimate Despair!" I shouted at her with pure hatred. I started hyperventilating and the others gave me concerned looks. I just couldn't take it anymore. I was so mad at everything she had done. I was so tired of listening to her never-ending psychotic rants. I was so pissed off at the way she kept acting like she knew me. I'd had enough! I wanted to jump across the trial stand ring and strangle the bitch's throat just to get her to shut the hell up. I started clenching and unclenching my fists as I imagine beating Junko Enoshima to a bloody pulp, and let my anger wash over me. But try as I might there was still more and more rage I had to give her, I had to make her pay. I had to make her pay for her sins right now!

"Ikusaba-san…" I managed to grunt out. "I'm sorry, I know she's your sister but I can't take it anymore. I want her to die. I want her to die and go to hell and burn like the evil bitch of a demon that she is! I'm sorry but I can't hold back my anger anymore," I said to Mukuro.

"I…I…" Mukuro looked to the side for a moment and stared off into space. Then she closed her eyes and let a single teardrop stroll down her cheek. "I understand. Please, I beg of you do what I should've done years ago. Kill her, kill her before she can hurt anyone else."

"Akira?" Nodaka looked at me with worry in her eyes.

"Kira Onii-chan?" Beigoma was the same.

"I feel your pain. Me too," said Yasuke. "I want her to pay. I want to make this bitch scream and beg for mercy! Let's show her exactly what she's done, Maita!"

"Count me in," said Jonathan.

"Me too, I've finally realized that words aren't enough to persuade her. We have to take action to get her to admit her sins," said Micho in a dark tone.

Then one by one the others agreed to help me with this final fight. This was it, us versus Junko. The final confrontation, it was time to make her admit her sins once and for all. "Whoa, whoa, time out! What are you R-tards getting so freaking pissed off about?! It was a joke! A joke! I wouldn't let you join me even if you freaking begged me too! I'm not done watching you squirm yet! Come on, keep giving me that hate!" Junko shouted in defiance.

"…" we all glared daggers into her.

Junko seemed to realize her situation and immediately switched personalities. This time she put a Monokuma plushy in front of her face and did a bad impersonation of the robot bear. "Whoa, hold up there, young students. Your lovable headmaster has one last thing to say before you give Junko-chan what for. And it's a beary nice surprise! ~" Junko exclaimed in a sing-song voice. While holding up the Monokuma plushy with one hand Junko reached down into her blouse with her free hand and then fished something out of her chest area. An eerie looking remote with a series of multicolored buttons on it. Junko pressed the large red button on the remote and then suddenly the ground below our feet started to shake. Junko giggled mischievously as we all held onto our stands' railing for balance. And then all of a sudden we noticed that the ground surrounding the trial stand ring was starting to rise high into the air, casting a large shadow over us. The surrounding ground took the shape twenty-eight different pillars, surrounding the trial stand ring with a ring of their own.

We all stared at Junko with confusion in our eyes to which she responded with even more high-pitched giggling. "Things are about to get real interesting for sure. Let's see how well this teamwork of yours does when surmounted with the odds against you. Twenty-eight versus twenty, this should be a good way to test your durability," Junko said in Monokuma's high pitched voice.

I noticed that Monokuma's throne also rose up into the air and he was standing watching over the ring of surrounding pillars. He sweatdropped. "Geez, do I really sound like that? How Em-bear-assing," he chuckled as he made a pun.

"Now, let's see how you guys can get out of this despairful situation," said Junko. "As long as you stand strong you should be able to literally break through their arguments. Time to play, _Back from the Dead_ , my little bitches!" Then the lights went out again. And when they came back on we discovered that Junko Enoshima had disappeared.

"She's gone!" Cam exclaimed.

"And she's trapped us in here!" Shiro exclaimed at the sight of the large encirclement of pillars, surrounding us. The pillars were arranged in such a way that that there was only a tiny gap between each one, much too small for anyone to squeeze through. It was almost like Junko had made a prison of stone by just pressing a button.

"What do we do now?!" Aya exclaimed in fear.

"Be on your guard, she's probably hiding in the shadows waiting to strike when we're most vulnerable," said Nate. He sniffed at the air. "I can still smell her blood lust in the air, she's around here somewhere."

"Do you seriously think she would try to escape to avoid being executed?" Jonathan asked.

"No, that's not Junko's style. Even if she was beaten she would still stick around to revel in the despair of defeat," Mukuro explained. "I can still sense her too. I'm guessing this is just the next part of her game."

All of a sudden a loud * _screeching_ * noise echoed throughout the trial grounds. Then a few seconds later we heard Junko's voice in loud audio. " _Very astute Mukuro, you always were gifted at reading people. Whether it be knowing their next moves and planning ahead accordingly, or knowing when you're about to be ambushed by an enemy using those fine-tuned senses of yours._ "

"Junko!" I shouted. "Where are you, come out and show yourself! We're ready to end this! Let's just get on with the execution already!"

" _Hmmmm, as tempting as that offer sounds…nah,_ " Junko replied. " _I've got a better idea for a finale that's really going to knock your socks off and hopefully give me one last dose of despair from all of you before I kick the bucket for good._ "

"That's not fair, you said if we answered all your questions then you would admit to everything. We answered your questions so let us do what must be done," said Micho.

" _I never said I wasn't going to surrender, you answered my questions so I will indeed give up and let you execute me fair and square. But first, I just want to play a little game to pass some time. Just to give me one last good memory before I die is all I'm asking,_ " Junko replied. " _It's very simple, all you have to do is do the same thing that you've been doing this whole time. Break through contradictions with your evidence. Only this time you're going to have to battle your hearts out to the max._ "

"What are you talking about you psycho?! Nobody is in the mood for more of your games!" Yasuke shouted at no one.

Junko giggled. " _Yeah, well unfortunately this is still my game for now so if you want out then you'll have to play by my rules. And I say I want to play one last minigame with you all before I die, and trust me you're going to love this one. It will really show off all that teamwork and trust that you're all so proud of. And if you win then I'll have no more objections and I promise not to play any more tricks on you, and after that you can kill me as many times as you wish. But again, that is if you win,_ " Junko giggled again.

"And what happens if we lose this final minigame?" Jose asked.

" _Oh well…I don't really know what to say to that. I was actually planning to have you guys continue on even if you do lose, remember I want you to play the mutual killing game after all. But I suppose if you need a punishment for losing then how about this? As I've said before, one out of the twenty of you was never abducted to begin with and they've been lying to you this whole time, which means the real twentieth student is left out of the game for now. So why don't we say that if you lose I'll kill one of you and let the real twentieth student take your place?_ " Junko replied.

"And the person who will die is the traitor, correct?" Nodaka asked.

Junko snorted out a laugh. " _You've got to be kidding me?! Why would I kill off someone as entertaining as that?! No instead, why don't I let you guys pick who the victim will be?! Yeah, that's perfect! If you lose you've got to vote for one of your friends to die along with me, but it's not so bad considering you still get to play the mutual killing game and earn a chance at freedom and you get a shiny new friend to replace the dead one! That's a great deal, right?!_ "

"In what world does that qualify as a good deal?" Sawa asked out of fear.

"Only in her messed up world," Keiko replied.

"Alright, fine. If this is what it takes to prove that no matter what you say we are not like you then so be it!" I exclaimed. "But after this it's over, no more tricks, no more games!"

" _Sure, sure, sure! Now come on already, get into positions! The special guest stars are arriving!_ " Junko exclaimed in glee.

"Special guest stars?" Beigoma repeated in confusion.

Izuru's eyes widened in disbelief. "No Junko, don't tell me you…"

And at that moment the room fell deathly silent as we heard the sound of chains rattling and being pulled. We turned to face the location of the sound and were faced with a big surprise when the elevator suddenly opened. And we saw out of the tiny gaps in the pillars a miraculous sight. Twenty-eight people got off the elevator one by one and walked up to the pillar circle before they stopped where they stood and allowed the elevator to close and go back upstairs. But since the pillar circle appeared around us the room had grown much dimmer so it was hard to make out who these individuals were, but I think deep down that I already knew who they were. After the chains finally stopped rattling the only sound that could be heard was shallow breathing, until Junko spoke up again.

" _Ahem, welcome to the final installment of the class trial of Hajime Hinata,_ " said Junko. " _Due to the identity of the killer already being known this is merely a formality to show the audience just how stubborn culprits can be when they're caught in a corner. And I've made sure that these particular individuals are very stubborn. It's going to take some real effort to make a dent in their argument. After all who in their right mind would believe that they were dead in the beginning? Death is spontaneous, and driven by complete and utter chaos. No one truly knows when they're going to die, so that's why these guys have such a hard time accepting it. They don't realize what's happened to them, and your job is to make them remember. That is the goal to reach in this Rapid Doubt Annihilation! Just follow the tutorial and you should be good to go, so now let's introduce our first contestant. He's been called the Unluckiest Lucky Student to ever exist, it just seems that one bad thing after another happens to this guy. And even though he's an Ultimate student he still claims to just be a normal, everyday high school student, he's either really humble or just an underachiever! You know, you love him, though I can't imagine why, the most boring of the boring, Makoto Naegi!_ " And then candid applause appeared out of nowhere as one of the shadowy figures walked around the pillar circle and were led into the inner ring when an opening opened up in front of the twenty-first trial stand seat where Junko had been previously occupying. When the figure stepped inside the dim light we finally got to see his face just as the pillar closed behind him. It was him, it was Makoto Naegi.

"Hey guys, do any of you know what's going on right now?" Makoto asked in confusion. "'Cause I haven't the foggiest." Makoto rubbed his head as we all remained in shocked silence. "Ugh, my head's killing me, it feels like someone took a hammer or something to my skull. And the last thing I remember is waking up here. What's this all about anyway?"

"…" we remained silent.

"Hello?" Makoto cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Anyone home?"

"M-Makoto?" Mukuro managed to breathe out.

Makoto chuckled. "Well of course it's me. Geez, didn't we just see each other yesterday Ikusaba-san? I don't think I look that different, do I?" Makoto pulled at a strand of his hair. "I have been worried my hair's getting a little too long though. I don't know, but anyway do you know what's going on Ikusa…"

"No," I replied before Mukuro had the chance too.

"Pardon?" Makoto replied.

"You're not him, this is just another trick. I know for a fact that you can't be him. The real Makoto Naegi is dead after all," I said as I glared at the imposter.

Makoto chuckled again and laughed it off as if it was nothing. "What? You're kidding, right? I am Makoto Naegi, and I know for a fact I'm not dead. So seriously, what's going on? Me and the others just woke up a while ago and…"

"You and Kyoko Kirigiri committed suicide after being kept in this Godforsaken hellhole for six years," I cut him off.

"Six years, what are you talking about?" Makoto asked in a really confused manner. Then his entire body glitched for a second, and then his eyes widened and a dark look overtook his face. He looked off to the side and muttered to himself. "Six years? So whoever is doing this to them is completely rewriting history? But why? Why go through all this trouble?" Makoto called out to Mukuro and Chihiro. "What's going on? I don't have much time here; you've got to tell me." He grunted in pain and held his head as his body began to shake. "No, you can't be here! I'm the one in control, not you! This is your punishment! You get to witness their fate first hand! But you can't participate this time!" Makoto exclaimed as his eyes widened.

Then he stopped cringing in pain and shook his head. "No, I'm not going to let it happen again. No more despair. No more. I will stop you if it's the last thing I do!" Makoto exclaimed to no one.

" _See what happens when a person can't accept their death, prove it to him and put this poor puppet out of his misery using the Rapid Doubt Annihilation function. Hop to it, you've got a long way to go!_ " Junko exclaimed.

"Remember this guy's just an imposter, we don't have any reason to be afraid," I said to the others.

"Let's take him down," said Mukuro.

"Wait, you guys don't understand! No, stop there's still time! Please you've got to hear me out! It isn't what you think!" Makoto exclaimed in fear.

"Too late, we're dead set on ending this and you're in our way. So if you won't back down then we'll make you back down!" I exclaimed.

* * *

RAPID DOUBT ANNIHALATION

* * *

 **Warning:** Hello once again, young sleuths. This will be the last new class trial minigame for a little while so let's finish this off with a bang shall we? The function of Rapid Doubt Annihilation/RDA is to get the suspect in question to admit the truth using the evidence you have gathered, much like in Panic Talk Action/PTA and Bullet Time Battle/BTB in the previous Danganronpa games. But as you know from playing those minigames that getting the suspect to admit the truth is easier said than done as they will try to deny your words till the very end using very exclamatory and undermining statements. Once again since this is entirely printed word playing the game is going to require some imagination but as you know I am very detail oriented so I will try to make this seem as interactive as possible.

First let's go through the controls and basics, to start off you will need to break through your opponent's assertions by locking onto and destroying them. Then when the field is clear of your opponent's mindless blathering you are able to take the offensive and begin RDA's Target Practice phase in which you lock onto an opponent's body part and fire at it until the corresponding body part on a target practice dummy hanging on a chart next to your opponent's head turns from black to red. Again it's going to require some imagination. When the corresponding body part turns to red you are now able to enter the Takedown phase in which your opponent fires off their last assertion and you break through the weak point with the corresponding truth bullet in order to break their claims.

However, unlike PTA and BTB it doesn't end there. Your opponent's words can sometimes be too strong for even your truth bullets to break through so you're going to need a little help which brings you finally to the Annihilation phase in which one of your classmates helps you out by unleashing a special move that gives your truth bullet the extra kick it needs. Now usually you must pick from your classmates and decide which among them would be the most effective in getting your opponent to surrender, and if you've been paying attention to the goings on in the novel parts of the game you'll know who you need to pick. But don't worry, for this class trial the classmates you need to pick will already be given. And as for the Target Practice phase, the only body part you will need to shoot at is your opponent's head, but as the game goes on the number of body parts you have to shoot at can increase.

Hopefully, you've found these instructions beneficial and if you need to make this seem more authentic I recommend listening to the PTA/BTB music for the other games while reading this section. Thank you that is all for now, see you at the next class trial.

* * *

RDA – MAKOTO NAEGI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"This is ridiculous!" Makoto exclaimed.

 _Deny._

"None of this makes any sense!"

 _Deny._

"Who's the Mastermind this time?!"

 _Deny._

"This is exactly what I was afraid of! They've already got you completely turned around!"

 _Deny._

"Another mutual killing game?! But what's the point?! This should all be over!"

 _Deny._

"You've got it all wrong!"

 _Deny._

"This isn't supposed to happen!"

 _Deny._

"This can't be how the story goes! I can't let you do this!"

 _Deny._

"Dammit, I am not your enemy!"

 _Deny._

"None of this is real!"

 _Deny._

"You're all being tricked!"

 _Deny._

"I am not your enemy! I'm your only hope!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You're all making a big mistake! None of this is supposed to happen! I'm in control right now so I can actually help you! You've just got to trust me! **I am Makoto Naegi** of the Fu…!" he shouted.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – MUKURO IKUSABA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Makoto Naegi** "; Ammunition needed: **Makoto Naegi** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Mukuro.

"Let's do this!" she shouted in reply.

" **FULL ASSAULT!** " we both shouted at the top of our lungs. Then my overactive imagination got the best of me again and began to picture a chibi cartoonish version of Mukuro appearing on the screen. The chibi Mukuro pulled out a large automatic assault rifle from thin air and then went on to shoot a flurry of bullets at the Makoto imposter's argument's weak point. When her gun was finally out of bullets and the weak point was broken the chibi Mukuro said, "Mission complete." And then everything went back to normal.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"No. No that can't be," Makoto said in disbelief. "I'm not dead. No, the others didn't make it but I know for a fact that the six of us made it out. We won the game. We defeated Junko. Didn't we?" He looked like he wasn't so sure of himself now. "Did we ever really make it out? Did we just go insane inside these walls? Is that really the truth of this world?"

"Yes, but if it makes you feel any better you didn't give up until the very end," I replied.

"Makoto, I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you and the others. I swear I'll avenge you if it's the last thing I do," she promised the boy she loved with tears in her eyes.

Makoto chuckled in a sad manner. "Ikusaba-san, you don't understand do you? I wanted so much to see you again, I thought maybe if I could talk to you in person that I could somehow find a way to end this game without getting rid of you and Fujisaki-san for good. But it looks like I failed again, eh? You probably just think I'm a mad man or something saying all these things, eh? Well, just know that I had your best interests at heart in coming here. I'm sorry I couldn't convince you. I really am a hopeless person, aren't I?" Then his body glitched again and all of a sudden his whole expression changed, almost like he had become a completely different person. "The truth is I'm dead, I'm dead and nothing you do is ever going to bring me or the others back. I don't want you to try and fight on our behalves. That's not going to accomplish anything, but if you must fight then I ask you to fight for survival. Don't give into despair so easily."

I thought it might've just been a trick of the eye at first but by that time I was convinced that this wasn't normal. Makoto was definitely glitching out like some kind of computer program. "Y-You d-don't k-know wh-what y-you guys are get-getting yourselves i-into," he stuttered out. Then he made a loud, off-putting, electronic-sounding screech. The sudden outburst made us all cover are ears and flinch up in recoil.

"Dude, what's up with him?!" Nate exclaimed. "Is he some sort of freaking robot?!"

"After robot teddy bears?! Nothing would surprise if the Masteridiot had robot clones!" Jonathan shouted above the high-pitched sound.

"It's like the loudest fax-machine in existence! Ugh, my ears are bleeding!" Cam exclaimed.

Then another odd occurrence happened. Makoto finally stopped glitching and began to morph in appearance. His left eye suddenly grew a bright, flashing red scar over it. The scar was easily recognizable as the same scar Monokuma had over his left eye. And after a few seconds Makoto's entire body began to change until his entire appearance became half black and half white, just like Monokuma. "* _Upupupupupu_ *!" Makoto cackled. "Nice work on exposing me for what I truly am! That's right, Makoto Naegi is as dead as a doorknob! Or is that doornail?! You know what, who the fuck cares?! I'm a fucking robot for crying out loud, not like anybody gives a shit!" He shouted in a voice all to befitting of a member of Ultimate Despair.

"Junko? Is that you?" I asked.

The Monokuma Makoto replied, " _*Accckkk*_!" to mimic the sound of a buzzer. "Wrong, Junko-chan's still here in this room, how could she control me if she's here, you idiot?! No, I'm not her and I'm not that guy you were talking to before either. The robot was on autopilot back then but now you're back to talking to me. Care to guess again?"

"You're the other Mastermind, aren't you?" I replied.

"Ding, ding, ding! Give the boy a prize! I've barely talked to you guys any during Junko-chan's whole display so I thought you would like hearing from a familiar person. Say hello to one of my creations, Makoto Naegi 2.0 AKA Makotokuma! What do you guys think, a nice surprise right? Making robot teddy bears is one thing but robot clones?! Ohoho, just imagine the despair it could create!" Makotokuma exclaimed.

"You monster, you think this is funny?!" Mukuro shouted.

"Funny? No, this isn't meant to be funny. This is meant to cause you despair. See how little I care about your classmates? I make them kill themselves and then I disgrace their memories by making them into my little toys. I just want you guys to hate me as much as you do Junko so I thought this would be a nice way of showing how much disgust I can get out of you," Makotokuma explained.

"Well it's working, so is this Junko's final game or yours?" Micho asked.

"Umm, half and half, I guess you could say? I mean someone's got to take over after she dies, right? Might as well be me, I've already proven how perfect I am for the job. And all of Ultimate Despair agrees, I am now the successor to Junko Enoshima!" Makotokuma exclaimed in glee.

"Well that just means that we hate you more than we did before," I replied. "After Junko is gone, we're coming for you next."

"Oooh, Akira-kun's so scary. You want to play, bring it on. Just remember this is my show, not Junko-chan's, mine. And while she may just be doing this for fun, I want to make it very clear to the audience that I do have a goal in doing this. A very simple goal. Revenge." Even though he looked like Makoto and talked like Makoto, this was definitely someone else who was in control.

"So that's what this is? Your manifesto?" Yasuke asked. "Give me a break, you're nothing but a piece of shit hiding behind a bunch or robots and cameras. You don't scare me."

"I wouldn't take such a snippy tone with me if I were you, Yasuke-kun," Makotokuma replied. "You might make your girlfriend sad if you act so mean."

Yasuke gasped and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "That's…Otonashi! Dammit, what have you done with her!"

"You know when you vanished that day she was so upset. How could she not be? You were her whole world, literally. Poor girl couldn't remember a single thing rom before she met you, but what do you expect from an amnesiac? But then after a little while she forgot all about you," Makotokuma replied with a chuckle.

"No, she wouldn't, she couldn't," Yasuke shook his head in disbelief.

"What do you expect? The girl could barely remember her name half the time her memory was so bad!" Makotokuma exclaimed. "It's been seven years, you seriously thought an airhead wouldn't move on like nothing happened?"

"But…her notebook," Yasuke tried to convince himself that it wasn't true.

"You mean that memory notebook she always carried around? Yeah, after we got to you we got to her and gave her a new one. The details in there are mostly the same as the ones you gave her minus one thing…you. We erased your existence completely and she ended up forgetting you like that," Makotokuma said with a snap. "She's probably in our care right now, watching you play this horrible game without knowing who you even are. Talk about tragic, am I right?"

Yasuke simmered down. "What do you want?"

"I want you to play of course, with no more complaints. You're still free to badmouth me if you wish but no more taking any swings at me, I could see in your eyes that you were about to lunge at me not two minutes ago. If you continue to be a nuisance, next time it won't be a nose that gets broken, it'll be a neck. And I don't mean yours braniac, catch my drift?"

"I understand. I'll play your damn game you bastard," Yasuke replied in a dry tone.

"As sharp-tongued as ever. Now I think this body has outlived its usefulness so I'm going to bring in the next guest already. But before I go, a little parting gift." Makotokuma reached into his hoodie and pulled out a large framed portrait photo of himself, or more accurately the real Makoto Naegi. And before he left he placed it on the funeral altar which was still placed in the center of the trial grounds. "Rest in pieces. Tata," Makotokuma waved us off as the pillar cage lowered the pillar that he came through again and he exited the area, allowing another person to come inside the cage and take his place. And now that we knew what we were dealing with we weren't that surprised when we saw the next person to enter the pillar cage. Sayaka Maizono.

"Hi, I'm Sayaka Maizono it's nice to meet you all. If you don't mind me asking, who are you people and how did you get in here?" she asked with her usual cheerful smile.

"That's not the Mastermind is it?" Keiko asked.

"No, it's probably an AI that was implanted into the robot made to mimic Maizono-san," said Chihiro. "Whoever the Mastermind is, they know far more about artificial intelligence than I do. That's for sure, and to think he would use them in such a cruel way," she said to herself.

"Don't sell yourself short Chihiro-chan. If Ultimate Despair stole Matsuda-san's notes on memory erasure then they might've stolen your notes on AIs, and you're forgetting that you've been missing for seven years so your true AI hasn't been completed yet. When you make it I bet it will be awesome," he said as he flashed a warm smile.

"Thank you, but after seeing this I'm not so sure I want to finish it," Chihiro replied.

"Well now that we know what we're dealing with here isn't psycho personalities or whatever, what do you say we kick a little robot ass?!" Deva exclaimed with his unbridled fury.

"You're right, let's do this," I replied.

* * *

RDA – SAYAKA MAIZONO

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"I know who I am but who are you?" Sayakakuma asked in an innocent voice.

 _Deny._

"You know that's not very nice."

 _Deny._

"Hey, I'm just trying to find out what's going on."

 _Deny._

"You guys seem lost too, am I right?"

 _Deny._

"You can't lie to me. I can tell. After all, I'm psychic."

 _Deny._

"Seriously, stop it's getting annoying," she said in a more hostile tone.

 _Deny._

"What are you talking about? I'm dead? How does that even happen?"

 _Deny._

"I'm standing right here!"

 _Deny._

"Dammit, why won't you listen to me?!"

 _Deny._

"I am not dead!"

 _Deny._

"You're lying!"

 _Deny._

"Stop lying! Stop it!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"I don't know what's going on here with you guys but I know for sure that I am not dead! I can't be dead! I promised my friends that when I got out of here I would make it big as an idol for them because they couldn't make it! If I don't do that than all their dreams will amount to nothing! **I am Sayaka Maizono** and I will become the #1 idol in the world!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – BEIGOMA KIYOSHI

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Sayaka Maizono** "; Ammunition needed: **Sayaka Maizono** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Beigoma.

"Let's show 'em what for, Kira Onii-chan!" she shouted in reply.

" **SIBLINGS' SERENADE!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined that a chibi Beigoma and a chibi version of me were once again singing a duet which produced a series of monochromatic music notes. The music notes covered up Sayakakuma's argument and then slowly dissipated leaving the argument broken in their wake. "That was awesome!" the chibi Beigoma exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Sayaka Maizono is dead. She stabbed herself to death in her own bathroom in order to save her idol friends who had been kidnapped by Ultimate Despair. Plus, much like Junko's Sayaka disguise you also seem to be lost on a few details," I explained.

Sayaka glitched out much like Makotokuma had done previously and then she too gained a scar over her left eye and a new black and white color scheme. "Right again, I'm Sayakakuma. But you guys already knew that, didn't you? How'd I know that? It's because I'm psychic of course. * _Teeheehee_ *, or something like that anyway. I need to work on my Sayaka-chan impression, don't I?" Then Sayakakuma followed Makotokuma's suit and placed a framed portrait of herself on the funeral altar, after which she left as well and was replaced by a robotic Leon Kuwata, who I assumed his real name was Leonkuma.

"Yo, Ikusaba, Fujisaki? What are you guys doing hanging out down here? And who are these guys?" Leonkuma looked at the rest of us in confusion and then he scratched his head. "Am I missing something here?"

* * *

RDA – LEON KUWATA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Yo, what's this all about?" Leonkuma asked.

 _Deny._

"Mutual killing game? What the hell is that?"

 _Deny._

"You're kidding, some freaking teddy bear locked us up in here? What the hell have you dudes been smoking? This was consensual, better being in here then out there you know what I'm saying?"

 _Deny._

"Okay, I'm starting to get pissed off here. Now you're telling me I'm dead?"

 _Deny._

"That's not funny, bro. Say that again and I'll come over there and kick your ass."

 _Deny._

"Shut the hell up!" he shouted.

 _Deny._

"I said shut up!"

 _Deny._

"Now you're telling me Kanon is dead too?! You stupid motherfuckers!"

 _Deny._

"Stupid!"

 _Deny._

"Stupid, stupid, so stupid!"

 _Deny._

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"

 _Deny._

"You're all hella stupid!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You idiots must be freaking mental! Ain't no way, I died and there ain't no way Kanon is dead! I am not dead! Not dead! Not dead! Not dead! Ain't no way I'd off myself, especially not with some stupid baseball bat! I hate baseball! **I am Leon Kuwata** , so stop fucking with me already!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NATE BARON

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Leon Kuwata** "; Ammunition needed: **Leon Kuwata** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Nate.

"What are we waiting for, dude?!" Nate exclaimed as he flashed me a thumb's up.

" **KILLER MOVES!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Nate dressed up as one of the characters from the _Assassin's Creed_ franchise, complete with his own hood. The chibi Nate sneaks pulled out two very sharp looking knives and then went to work slicing away at Leonkuma's argument until it was cut to shreds. "Don't mess with an assassin! You'll wind up dead!" the chibi Nate exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Leonkuma changed to his Monokuma-like form just like the others did previously. "Well, can't blame a guy for trying right?" Leonkuma asked with a chuckle. "You punks ain't nothing special, I've got plenty more toys for you to deal with." Leonkuma placed a portrait of the late Leon Kuwata on the funeral altar and then exited the pillar cage. And then a robot version of Mondo Owada came in and took his place.

"Who the hell are you?!" he shouted in confusion.

* * *

RDA – MONDO OWADA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"What the hell's going on here?" Mondo asked.

 _Deny._

"Answer me dammit!"

 _Deny._

"What the hell's a Monokuma?"

 _Deny._

"None of this dumb shit makes any sense!"

 _Deny._

"So wait, I'm dead? How the hell does that work?!"

 _Deny._

"Shut the hell up I ain't dead!"

 _Deny._

"Say that again, I dare you," Mondo threatened as he cracked his knuckles.

 _Deny._

"Oh that's it, you twerps are going down!"

 _Deny._

"I ought a come over there and bust your skull in!"

 _Deny._

"This is total bullshit!"

 _Deny._

"Dammit, I'm sick of this!"

 _Deny._

"Last warning, stop saying bullshit or else!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you freaking retards?! I ain't dead! Ain't no way in hell I went out like a freaking wuss! **I am Mondo Owada** , and I am not to be fucked with!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – CHIHIRO FUJISAKI

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Mondo Owada** "; Ammunition needed: **Mondo Owada** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Chihiro.

"Y-Yes," she responded in a timid tone.

" **DESTRUCTION ALGORITHM!** " Chihiro and I shouted. I then imagined a chibi Chihiro appearing on screen with a laptop in tow. "I-I'll do my best," she said softly as she opened her laptop and began typing away software code at an incredible pace. Finally, she hit enter and the entire screen began to glitch. Then she pressed delete and Mondokuma's argument disappeared completely. "I hope I could be of service," she said.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Beginner's luck, let's keep going shall we?" said Mondokuma after he went through his Monokuma transformation.

After he left he placed a portrait on the altar he left, and the next person to come through the opening in the pillar cage was Mondo's supposed best friend, Kiyotaka Ishimaru. "What did you guys do to bro?" he asked in a suspicious tone.

* * *

RDA – KIYOTAKA ISHIMARU

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Explain yourselves soldiers!" Kiyotakakuma demanded.

 _Deny._

"I don't buy that for a second. Besides Ikusaba and Fujisaki I don't recognize any of you."

 _Deny._

"What's all this about a mutual killing game? That's a horrible thing to play in academia!"

 _Deny._

"Come again, soldiers? I'm dead?"

 _Deny._

"That's ridiculous. Oh no wait, I get it. You guys are playing a joke on me, aren't you?"

 _Deny._

"Bazinga! Heh, you got me good!"

 _Deny._

"Okay joke's over now."

 _Deny._

"Seriously that's enough."

 _Deny._

"Do you maggots want me to write you up?! I'm the head of the disciplinary committee for a reason!"

 _Deny._

"How dare you mock your superior officer!"

 _Deny._

"Enough is enough!"

 _Deny._

"Goddammit what the hell is wrong with you people?!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You maggots have a lot of nerve! You won't be getting off easy for this disrespect! By the time I'm done with you expulsion will be the least of you worries! Dammit, **I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru** and as a prefect of this fine school I deserve respect!

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – DEVA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru** "; Ammunition needed: **Kiyotaka Ishimaru** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Deva.

"Let's bitch slap his claims straight to hell!" Deva shouted.

" **H. U. I. C!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Deva appearing on the screen. He shouted, "Argue this bitch!" and then suddenly clouds began to form at the top of the screen and a giant fist emerged from the heavens that crushed Kiyotakakuma's argument into dust. The giant fist disappeared and then Deva did a mini celebration dance. "I am God!" he shouted.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Kiyotakakuma showed his true colors. "Better luck next time I guess. I'll go ahead and bring in the next one."

Kiyotakakuma left behind a portrait and then left the trial area and another robot followed suit, this time taking the appearance of Hifumi Yamada. "Let's duel!" he shouted in an odd announcer-like voice.

* * *

RDA – HIFUMI YAMADA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"How goes your quest for life young travelers?"

 _Deny._

"I beg your pardon, but I don't believe we've met."

 _Deny._

"I sense your combined power levels, it's over 9,000!"

 _Deny._

"What? I'm dead because of a teddy bear? That doesn't sound like an interesting anime."

 _Deny._

"Oh so it's a teleporting, robot, ninja teddy bear? That does sound interesting but completely ludicrous."

 _Deny._

"What, you're not joking? I don't get it."

 _Deny._

"So the going plot is that I'm a robot too? This is getting more and more ridiculous."

 _Deny._

"No person would ever dare be caught writing fanfiction for this nonsense! Anyone who does is a disgrace to all things otaku!"

 _Deny._

"Foolish mortals, you dare question the power of he who has been referred to as the otaku god?!"

 _Deny._

"This will not stand! This anime deserves indefinite hiatus!"

 _Deny._

"I shall use my powers from the two-dimensional plane to smite away your existence!"

 _Deny._

"Feast your eyes as I jump straight to my final form to crush you easily!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"I will not believe a word of your doujinshi nonsense. I may be the Ultimate Fanfic Creator but even I have a clearly drawn line for reality, and this garbage is way out of bounds. I will not stand for it! **I am Hifumi Yamada** , hear me roar!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – SHIRO SHIROBANE

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Hifumi Yamada** "; Ammunition needed: **Hifumi Yamada** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Shiro.

"You know it," Shiro replied.

" **BREAK A LEG!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Shiro appearing on screen and pulling a velvet rope that caused a large red curtain to suddenly close on Hifumikuma's argument. "We hope you've enjoyed the show," said the chibi Shiro.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Hifumikuma changed to his true form. "You mortals are not worthy of the two-dimensional plane. May you be forever cursed to this mediocre 3-D plan of existence!" After that he placed a portrait on the altar he left and a robotic Celestia Ludenberg took his place.

"Shall we play a game?" she asked.

* * *

RDA – CELESTIA LUDENBERG

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"You all seem very pathetic."

 _Deny._

"That hasn't stopped me from betting before though, what shall we play mahjong, black jack, baccarat?"

 _Deny._

"Please do understand you don't have a chance of beating me."

 _Deny._

"My luck is not to be trifled with. No one can beat it."

 _Deny._

"You say I lost quite some time ago? That has to be some kind of mistake."

 _Deny._

"No, you are simply mistaken. Don't take it personally, it probably just because you are so lowly ranked."

 _Deny._

"As I have said before, you are mistaken," she said with a giggle. "I am not dead."

 _Deny._

"I can never die; I am far too lucky for such a fate."

 _Deny._

"I am not dead."

 _Deny._

"No, I'm not."

 _Deny._

"No."

 _Deny._

"I said no you retarded pieces of shit! What the hell is the matter with you even suggesting such an outlandish and vulgar lie?!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You cannot beat me! No one can beat me! I am unbeatable, I am all powerful! Lady luck will always be on my side so I will never lose! I am she who is the best gambler in the world! **I am Celestia Ludenberg**!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – KEIKO AKASAKA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Celestia Ludenberg** " **;** Ammunition needed: **Celestia Ludenberg** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Keiko.

"Do you even need to ask?! Keiko replied.

" **ROYAL FLUSH!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Keiko appearing on the screen and drawing a hand of cards from a deck on her person. She shows the audience her hand, and it turns out she has a royal flush she can play. She lays down her cards on the screen and then suddenly the screen begins to swirl around and around almost like it's being flushed down a toilet. "You can never beat the house," she said.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Heh, pride comes before the fall as they say," said Celestiakuma. "This round goes to you as well." She left a portrait and then exited the pillar cage, and then a robotic Sakura Ogami took her place.

"This is your final chance to surrender," said Sakurakuma.

* * *

RDA – SAKURA OGAMI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"I sense that you are all troubled, care to tell me why?"

 _Deny._

"You seem very suspicious. What are you here for?"

 _Deny._

"You may not pass until you have answered my questions."

 _Deny._

"Mutual killing game, you say? This Mastermind forced us into despair?"

 _Deny._

"And now I have passed away?"

 _Deny._

"Hmm, I see. This would be very troubling if it were indeed true."

 _Deny._

"You're not lying? I apologize, but you will just have to forgive me I don't believe you."

 _Deny._

"I cannot be dead. If I am dead, who will carry on my clan's name and take care of the family dojo?"

 _Deny._

"All of this is a lie, that is the simple truth."

 _Deny._

"I see we are not going to reach an understanding with words, how about we use our fists instead then?

 _Deny._

"I am not an opponent to be taken lightly!"

 _Deny._

"I swear, that these lies you speak will be the last words that ever come out of your mouths!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"I will not believe anything you say without proof! If you cowards wish to prove me wrong, then present me with proof! But I know for a fact that I would not die so easily, not without fulfilling the final wishes of my clan! **I am Sakura Ogami** , and I will not stop fighting until all those who go against me are destroyed!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – JONATHAN JUNMARU

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Sakura Ogami** "; Ammunition needed: **Sakura Ogami** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Jonathan.

"Let's take this idiot down, Aki!" Jonathan replied.

" **DISTRACTIONS, DISTRACTIONS!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Jonathan appearing on the screen. "This place is filthy. We can't get any work done until it's cleaned from top to bottom," said the chibi Jonathan. Then he got to work at cleaning the entirety of the game screen by sweeping, mopping scrubbing, and finally spraying aerosol into the air that fogged up the screen. Then he wiped the screen clean with a cloth and revealed that he had also cleaned away Sakurakuma's argument. "Okay back to business. What were we talking about again?"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Oh well, maybe the next one will be your last?" Sakurakuma said as she left behind a portrait and exited the pillar cage, allowing the next robot clone to take her place. A robot version of Aoi Asahina.

"Which one of you guys upset Sakura?" she asked with a glare.

* * *

RDA – AOI ASAHINA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Alright what's the big idea anyway? What's going on here?"

 _Deny._

"Ikusaba-san, Fujisaki-san, and is that Nanase-chan?!" Aoi exclaimed in confusion. "How did you get here?"

 _Deny._

"Huh, what's this all about a mutual killing game? Nothing like that's happened here."

 _Deny._

"What? What do you mean I'm dead?"

 _Deny._

"This isn't a prank is it? Did Nanase-chan put you up to this? She may not look it but she's a devious little girl when it comes down to it."

 _Deny._

"No, then why are you saying I'm supposed to be dead?"

 _Deny._

"Robot? If I were a robot, I would know it. I going swimming in the pool practically every day, shouldn't I have short-circuited or something by now?"

 _Deny._

"This isn't making any sense! All give you all my donuts if you just make this easier to understand!" she exclaimed.

 _Deny._

"No, I killed myself. I would never do anything like that. Never!" she shouted in defiance.

 _Deny._

"Yuta?! You're saying Yuta's dead too?!"

 _Deny._

"No, you're lying. You're lying, stop lying!" she began to tear up.

 _Deny._

"No it can't be true!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"No, none of this can possibly be true! It's all a mean lie! Why are you guys being so mean to me?! What did I ever do to you?! Just stop it! Stop telling lies! I am not a robot; **I am Aoi Asahina**!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – SAWA NANASE

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Aoi Asahina** "; Ammunition needed: **Aoi Asahina** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Sawa.

"Let's give it our best!" Sawa exclaimed.

" **FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND!"** we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Sawa appearing on screen. Then suddenly the scenery started to change and eventually the chibi Sawa appeared on a beach, and Aoikuma's argument reappeared on the beach as written words in the sand. "I feel uncomfortable," the chibi Sawa said as she kicked off her flip-flops. Then she crunched the sand beneath her toes, "Ah, much better. I think I'll go for a run now." Then she prattled off down the beach leaving footprints in her wake as she stepped in the sand. Eventually her footprints ran atop the words of Aoikuma's argument thoroughly erasing them. Then the chibi Sawa finally stopped running around. "Ah, that was a great workout. Oh looks like I won, cool."

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Aoikuma morphed to her true form just like all the others before her and then she left lose a mischievous giggle. "Nice job, but you've still got a long road ahead of you. Ready for round 10?" Aoikuma left behind a portrait and exited the pillar cage, allowing the next robot clone to take her place. This time it was Yasuhiro Hagakure.

"Yo dudes, any of you guys know what's going on?" Yasuhiro asked.

* * *

RDA – YASUHIRO HAGAKURE

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"So you're saying that we were all involved in this event called the Killing School Life? And that we're all really dead?"

 _Deny._

"So I'm a ghost?" Yasuhiro asked in a fearful tone

 _Deny._

"A robot?" he scoffed. "Dudes, I'm a believer in most things weird but that's a little too far-fetched even for me."

 _Deny._

"You're serious? Aren't we all? I'm serious about everything I do even when my predictions are only right 30% of the time."

 _Deny._

"So what's the gimmick behind this mutual killing game thing? Come on, you can let me in on it, can't you? It's all an act, right? You are guys are just part of it, right?"

 _Deny._

"It's probably just one of Shima's pranks again," Yasuhirokuma said with a chuckle.

 _Deny._

"That chick loves tricking me."

 _Deny._

"Okay, you can drop the act now guys. I know it's just a prank."

 _Deny._

"Seriously, enough. It's not funny anymore."

 _Deny._

"Dammit, dudes you're taking this joke way too far! Stop it already!"

 _Deny._

"Why are you guys being such pricks?! Is it really that funny messing with me?! Am I that fun too screw with?!"

 _Deny._

"Enough! I'm no robot okay?! It's all an act!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"Listen up really good! I am human! Human! Human! Human! I'll admit to being to being a shaman, and a fortuneteller, and maybe even a ghost! But not a freaking robot! I ain't a robot okay?! **I am Yasuhiro Hagakure** , the legendary Supernova!" he shouted.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – AZAMI JAGAIMO

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Yasuhiro Hagakure** "; Ammunition needed: **Yasuhiro Hagakure** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Azami.

"Bring it hebi!" Azami replied.

" **CAT-ASTROPHE HEBI!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Azami appearing on the screen. The chibi Azami looked more like a cat than her real version did, complete with a cat tail and cat eyes. And to make her even more cat-like she started to paw at a ball of yarn she had with her while meowing and purring innocently. Then the chibi Azami ended up swatting the ball of yarn at Yasuhirokuma's argument, causing the ball of yarn to come untangled and fly across all the words in the argument. Chibi Azami hissed and then pounced at the argument claws ablaze, causing a serious cat scratch cloud to appear on the game screen. And when chibi Azami finally retracted her claws Yasuhirokuma's argument was torn to shreds. "Puuuuurrrrrrfect hebi!" chibi Azami exclaimed.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Yasuhirokuma laughed maniacally as his color scheme began to change. "This isn't getting tiring at all. It's so much fun to play as other people, no wonder Junko-chan loves doing this so much. Well let's see what you've got with the next one then, shall we?" He placed a portrait upon the altar and then turned to leave.

Yasuhirokuma left just as another robot clone entered the pillar cage. This time it was a robot clone of Toko Fukawa. "I…I don't kn-know who you pe-people are but just looking at y-you makes me angry. You look at me wi-with those hateful eyes, yes I kn-know I'm disgusting vermin but that doesn't g-give you the right to treat me as s-such. So very…very…very…* _achoo_ *." Then she sneezed and for the second time that day a serial killer came out to play. Genocide Jack/Jill let out her horrid laughter. "Ready to play boys and girls?"

* * *

RDA – TOKO FUKAWA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Alright, it's confession time! Who are you guys?! Answer if you dare!"

 _Deny._

"Fellow students of Hope's Peak Academy. I find that hard to believe, considering we're supposed to be the only remaining students. Now tell me who you really are!" Genocide Jack shouted as she brandished her Genoscissors at us.

 _Deny._

"You can't fool me. Between me and Ms. Gloomy, I have always been the smarter of the two of us."

 _Deny._

"So that's your story, eh? Sticking to it? Fine then. I'll just have cut the truth out of you little liars then, won't I?!"

 _Deny._

"Come again, good buddy? I didn't quite catch that. It sounded like you said I killed myself."

 _Deny._

Genocide Jack laughed maniacally. "That's a riot! Like I would ever desecrate my precious scissors with my filthy blood! They are reserved for cute little men only! No exceptions!"

 _Deny._

"This is getting repetitive and annoying. I'm telling you that I only kill men, why would I kill myself? Do I look like a man to you?"

 _Deny._

"I dare you to come out and say it!"

 _Deny._

"Enough of the tricks, I'm onto you buster!"

 _Deny._

"For the last time, I am not dead."

 _Deny._

"I could never die, not when there's so many more cute little men to mame!"

 _Deny._

"Especially Master Byakuya! Dying without killing the Master would be too much of a burden to bare!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You're talking nonsense bub! No way Master Byakuya took his own life, he's way too cool for that shit! No, I know in my heart that the Master is still alive! Even now it races just thinking about him! If anyone should kill him, it should be me! **Toko Fukawa** AKA Genocide fucking Jack!" she shouted.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – YASUKE MATSUDA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Toko Fukawa** "; Ammunition needed: **Toko Fukawa** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Yasuke.

"Let's just get this over with," Yasuke replied.

" **INCEPTION!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Yasuke appearing on the screen. Much like the real Yasuke, he seemed kind of distant to the current situation as he was currently reading manga without a care in the world. Then the chibi Yasuke looked up from his manga and said, "Oh right. I'm supposed to help." A miniature brain then appears on screen next to the chibi Yasuke. He then walks up to the brain and whispers to it, "Your argument's crap. You should back off." Then Tokokuma's argument simply disappeared. "There, simple. Why did it take that asshat Leonardo DiCaprio over two hours to do that?" the chibi Yasuke asked.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Genocide Jack sneezed and then turned back into the normal Toko Fukawa. And then Tokokuma showed her true colors and changed color schemes accordingly. "Well done. It takes a lot of patience to deal with a serial killer," said the Mastermind, speaking through Tokokuma's robotic body. "Though I think you might find Master Byakuya a bit more troubling." Tokokuma left behind a portrait like the other robots before her, before she too left the pillar cage.

"Okay, I've had just about enough of this nonsense. I want answers now, and you drones are going to give me them," said Byakuyakuma, who suddenly entered the pillar cage.

* * *

RDA – BYAKUYA TOGAMI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Both Fujisaki and Ikusaba are here as well. Whatever this is it's certainly not good if the two of them are involved together. What could be more dangerous than a master programmer and a trained killer?"

 _Deny._

"So am I correct in guessing that you too are Hope's Peak Academy students? Probably not one interesting person amongst the lot of you."

 _Deny._

"Although I do recall seeing the drone dressed like Sherlock Holmes on more than one occasion. Sorry, whoever you are your name eludes me. Not that I really care what your name is."

 _Deny._

"So according to you all, I'm dead by my own accord. I find the very notion that someone of Togami descent would place such little value in their own life laughable."

 _Deny._

"Mutual killing game? While it does sound interesting I can't say I've ever had the luxury of playing such a game."

 _Deny._

"Enough mindless prater from the drones. Whatever's going on here, clearly I'm not going to get any useful information for you lot."

 _Deny._

"Are you insinuating that I couldn't even win this game? Another laughable notion. Do you not know who I am?

 _Deny._

"Being a Togami is almost like a gift from God himself. No, actually it makes me like God himself. And you're saying I through my life away playing this ridiculous game which I would no doubt win accordingly?"

 _Deny._

"Are you sure you go to this school?"

 _Deny._

"Ugh, you're trying my patience."

 _Deny._

"Enough with the foolishness. Answer my questions now!"

 _Deny._

"You dare defy me! I'll ask again, do you know who I am?!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"The Togami group has been a part of the world's elite since the times of my ancestors. We have a standard to uphold, and that is that a Togami never loses at anything. They are always the best of the best, and I am the best of my generation. That is why I alone shall inherit control of the group and with that power in my hands I shall bring the world into a new age of enlightenment. A world where drones know how mindlessly pathetic their lives are. **My name is Byakuya Togami** and I am the one who will inherit the world," he said.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – JOSE HISTORIA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **my name is Byakuya Togami** "; Ammunition needed: **Byakuya Togami** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Jose.

"I've been waiting for this," said Jose.

" **DOOMED TO REPEAT IT!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Jose appearing on the screen with his journal in tow. "Have you ever heard the old saying, those who don't learn from their past are doomed to repeat it? Well here's an example of how the past can come back to haunt you," said the chibi Jose. Then all of a sudden Byakuyakuma kept repeating his argument over and over again, making endless strings of words appear on the screen until it was completely filled with Byakuyakuma's arguments. Then eventually the words' combined pressure ended up crushing them and they all started to break apart and crumble into dust. The chibi Jose smiled and said, "Learn from your mistakes kids or else you'll end up like this douche here," chibi Jose pointed at Byakuyakuma.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Byakuyakuma changed color schemes like the other robot clones and then he laughed manically. "I think my Byakuya Togami is dead on accurate. Snotty rich kid is definitely more my acting archetype. But still not convincing enough to fool you guys, eh? So be it, let's move on to the detective girl." Byakuyakuma placed a portrait onto the altar and then exited the pillar cage, allowing another robot clone to take his place. Kyoko Kirigiri or more accurately Kyokokuma.

"There are many questions surrounding your purpose in this place. And I fear I already know the answers," Kyoko said in a calm tone.

* * *

RDA – KYOKO KIRIGIRI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"I surmise judging by your appearances that you attend Hope's Peak Academy as well."

 _Deny._

"That would explain how you know Ikusaba-san and Fujisaki-san, and why you seem to know so many things about the rest of us."

 _Deny._

"So there was an event that shut down the academy? A kidnapping? And you guys are the ones who were abducted?"

 _Deny._

"I don't recall hearing about such a thing. Strange, you think twenty people suddenly disappearing into thin air would raise some alarms."

 _Deny._

"And you're saying the rest of us were trapped here soon after and forced to compete in this mutual killing game? Again, I don't recall such a thing."

 _Deny._

"I recall being isolated here in the academy with the others, but not as the way you described. It was for another reason, an important reason though I can't seem to recall what at the moment. Even more strange."

 _Deny._

"You seem quite convinced of these facts. Tell me, have you questioned every single detail? I think you'll find a few things don't add up."

 _Deny._

"First of all, I specifically remember Ikusaba-san and Fujisaki-san were both secluded here with the rest of us. But I think there were just sixteen of us, not thirty. Where did the others come from?"

 _Deny._

"Something's very odd. What am I forgetting?"

 _Deny._

"What's happened to the outside world?"

 _Deny._

"How long have we been here?"

 _Deny._

Kyokokuma's expression turned from calm and analytical to extremely scared in a mere matter of seconds. "Where is my father?"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"Despite my lapses in memory, and my detective's intuition that something very odd is going on here, I am certain of one thing at least. **I am Kyoko Kirigiri** , the Ultimate Detective…aren't I?"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – MICHO AURUKA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am Kyoko Kirigiri** "; Ammunition needed: **Kyoko Kirigiri** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Micho.

"I find the defendant guilty!" Micho exclaimed.

" **CRIME AND PUNISHMENT!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi Micho appearing on the screen. "I may just be a defense attorney but I know how to act as a judge too if the occasion dictates it," said the chibi Micho. The chibi Micho pulled out a small gavel and then raised it over her head. Suddenly, the small gavel morphed in size and turned into a giant hammer. "Order in the court!" chibi Micho shouted as she slammed the giant hammer down onto Kyokokuma's argument, smashing it to bits. The chibi Micho's gavel turned back to normal and then she smiled and giggled innocently. "I've always wanted to say that."

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Kyokokuma morphed into her true form. "Very interesting. You know when I designed Kyokokuma here, I made her as a little Easter egg for you guys, but if you don't care what secrets she may hold then I guess we can move on." The Mastermind, speaking as Kyokokuma, snickered. "I was sure since that troublesome rat worked his way in here before that he would've brought his girlfriend in as backup. Guess not, wonder who he did bring though." Kyokokuma left a portrait on the altar and then exited the pillar cage.

And the next robot clone to show up took on the form of Teruteru Hanamura. "Now which one of you naughty kids wants to get more intimate with the Ultimate Chef?"

* * *

RDA – TERUTERU HANAMURA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

 _Deny._

"Not really proper for a first date, but if you insist."

 _Deny._

"Really someone kidnapped us and made us play a game about killing each other? That does sound pretty horrible."

 _Deny._

"If it were true that is."

 _Deny._

"In reality, it sounds like you've been trying too many unique spices. Too much flavor can ruin any dish you know, the dish in this case being your mind."

 _Deny._

"Mama-Mia, you guys sure do tell some tall tales. Can't I just go back to that island? It was a lot more fun there, plus I didn't get to see anyone in a swimsuit yet!"

 _Deny._

"Come now, enough of this foolishness. Let's just admit that we're crazy about each other and get down to it."

 _Deny._

"I wonder what color panties you're wearing. Could they be…white?"

 _Deny._

"Enough is enough, don't make me throw you out of my place of business."

 _Deny._

"Hey, didn't ya'll hear what I said befur you lowsy, no good, cuntry bumpkins?!"

 _Deny._

"I aughta shish kebab you but good Cher!"

 _Deny._

"None of ya'lls bater than me ya'll heres?!

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

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* * *

"Ya'll can't fools me! I be da gratest chef that eva lived you hear?! No one can match my coolinary skills you hear?! **I be Teruteru Hanamura** and don't ya'll forget it now Cher!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NAGITO KOMAEDA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I be** **Teruteru Hanamura** "; Ammunition needed: **Teruteru Hanamura** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Nagito.

"This battle shall belong to hope!" Nagito exclaimed

" **FOR HOPE'S SAKE!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi version of Nagito appearing on the screen. "I'll prove to you my dedication to hope," said the chibi Nagito. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I hope that this argument will disappear." Then suddenly a blinding flash of light overtook the screen and within a mere matter of moments the light vanished, taking Teruterukuma's argument along with it. Chibi Nagito opened his eyes and said, "See what did I tell you? Anything's possible with hope."

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"Very good now Cher, very good," said Teruterukuma as he morphed into his true form. "But I wonder, can ya'll keep this up till da end?" he asked as he rested a portrait on the funeral altar. Then Teruterukuma left and was replaced by a robot clone of Mahiru Koizumi.

"There's definitely something fishy about you guys. And I'm going to get to the bottom of it," said Mahirukuma.

* * *

RDA – MAHIRU KOIZUMI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Komaeda-kun is here so whatever this is all about I know it can't be good."

 _Deny._

"This is all too strange, the last thing I remember is that I was on some kind of island, and now I'm back at school again."

 _Deny._

"What you don't believe me? I've got photographic evidence, take a look," she said as she motioned to her camera.

 _Deny._

"I met with everybody here in one of the classrooms earlier, and then the next thing I knew some talking stuffed rabbit thing appeared out of nowhere and took us to a tropical paradise."

 _Deny._

"Just when I was starting to like that place too, everything went black and I was back here again with the others, minus Komaeda-kun. What an Earth happened to us?"

 _Deny._

"I'm not making this up. I know it sounds weird but it did happen. You're trying to tell me about a talking stuffed bear so is a talking stuffed rabbit all that hard to believe?" she replied as she put her hands on her hips.

 _Deny._

"What I'm dead?!" Mahirukuma seemed fazed for a second. "T-That's…no that can't be true!"

 _Deny._

"Who are you people?! Is Komaeda-kun making you say these awful things?!"

 _Deny._

"No, no, I can't be dead! I still have too many promises I have to keep!"

 _Deny._

"Sato! I swore with the others that we would keep on living for her!"

 _Deny._

"Hiyoko-chan, Ibuki-chan, and Mikan-chan! They can't all be dead too!"

 _Deny._

"Kuzuryuu-kun too! I can't die without ever making it up to him for what we did! It can't be the end! It just can't!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"Listen to me! You have to listen, none of this can be real! It's all too horrible! Let me go back to the island, please! I want to feel at peace again! **Mahiru Koizumi** has too many things to do left before she dies!" she exclaimed on the verge of tears.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – AYA KISARAGI

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Mahiru Koizumi** "; Ammunition needed: **Mahiru Koizumi** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Aya.

"Let me at 'em! Time for a good old fashioned shark frenzy!" Aya exclaimed.

" **TRIAL BY TIDE!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi version of Aya appearing on the screen. "You're probably wondering what cute little ol' Aya's going to do right? Well how about this?" chibi Aya asked as she pointed towards the other end of the screen. Then a giant tidal wave suddenly appeared in the direction where chibi Aya was pointing. "Surf's up!" chibi Aya shouted as the tidal wave consumed the entirety of the screen, forcing the argument and chibi Aya under water. Then the chibi Aya started gasping for breath, "Crud, I forgot I can't swim that well," she croaked out as she desperately used her arms and legs to paddle to safety.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Mahirukuma changed forms and then said, "Maybe you guys shouldn't be so quick to deny everything. Who knows you might be overlooking something important." Mahirukuma rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and then left. And she was quickly replaced by a robot clone of Peko Pekoyama.

"No matter who stands in my way, I will cut them down in my search for the truth," said Pekokuma.

* * *

RDA – PEKO PEKOYAMA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"I request your assistance in order to fulfill my task."

 _Deny._

"I don't believe you understand the position you're in. By defying me you are defying the young master, and that is inexcusable."

 _Deny._

" _The young master's word is law, what he says goes. He has tasked in searching for answers and it shall be done. Even if I have to use force."_

 _Deny._

Pekokuma reached behind her back. "I see then you leave me no choice." And then she was surprised to find herself simply gripping air. "What the…?!" Pekokuma retraced her arm. "My sword, where did it go?!"

 _Deny._

"Wait you, girl. Is that my Shinai bag?"

 _Deny._

"I don't understand why do you have my sword? I never go anywhere without it. I wear it on my back so much that I don't even feel the strap anymore."

 _Deny._

"That's not my practice sword? What do you mean it's real?"

 _Deny._

"I…I killed myself with it. That can't possibly be true."

 _Deny._

"No, none of this is right. How did I suddenly end up here? The sixteen of us were on an island, and Komaeda was with us. That's the last thing I remember. Where's my practice sword? Where's the island? Where's that talking rabbit with the wand?"

 _Deny._

" _The young master, is he in a state of distress as well?"_

 _Deny._

"Wh are you people?! What do you want from us?!

 _Deny._

"I swear, if you do not desist in your actions immediately I will bring forth the might of my training upon you!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You cannot resist! I will not stand for this madness any longer! Cease your actions immediately or you will know the true wrath of the Kuzuryuu clan! I do not need a sword to deal with the likes of you! I am a weapon, honed and sharpened by the Kuzuryuu clan! **I, Peko Pekoyama** , am just a tool to be used by the young master as how he sees fit!

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NODAKA HOSHI

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I, Peko Pekoyama** "; Ammunition needed: **Peko Pekoyama** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Nodaka.

"I'll tear them to pieces!" Nodaka shouted.

" **MAID RULES!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi version of Nodaka appearing on the screen. The chibi Nodaka glared down Pekokuma's argument and then withdrew her sword from her Shinai bag. And then she pulled a broom out of nowhere and twirled the two objects up in the air with her adjoining hands. She crossed the broom and the sword and then shouted, "You want to play! Let's play! Hyaaaaaaaaa!" She broke into a sprint towards Pekokuma's argument, dragging both the broom and sword behind her until finally struck Pekokuma's argument and slashed through it, cutting her words in half literally. Then chibi Nodaka stopped and let the sword and broom hang at her sides as Pekokuma's argument came apart behind her. "I am the best," she simply said.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Pekokuma then changed into her true form and giggled maniacally. "You never know what you might uncover if you read between the lines. For instance, someone might be lying about who they are." She rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and then she left. And then a robot clone of Ibuki Mioda came and took her place.

"Alright! It's Ibuki's time to shine! I'm not going down so easy so you better get ready," Ibukikuma said as she pulled her electric guitar out of nowhere and plugged up into an amp that also appeared out of nowhere. "'Cause it's time to rock n' roll!" She strummed her electric guitar and her loud music roared throughout the court room.

* * *

RDA – IBUKI MIODA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"I hope you don't mind but Ibuki's going to sing her argument. She thinks it's a good way to get her point across."

 _Deny._

Ibuki began strumming her guitar as she sang, " _Have any of you guys seen a little bunny dressed up like a magical girl?"_

 _Deny._

" _She was a tad annoying but cute in a weird way, actually. She took Ibuki and her friends to a tropical paradise that Ibuki thought was really nice, you know._ "

 _Deny._

" _It was supposed to be a school trip, yeah? At least that's what the magical, talking bunny said._ "

 _Deny._

" _Ibuki was excited for a little fun in the sun. God knows she needed a little vacation. But then wouldn't you know it, she ended up back here at boring, nasty old school!_ "

 _Deny._

" _Eh? What's that? Do Ibuki's ears deceive her? You say she's dead? She killed herself? Well I say that simply can't be._ "

 _Deny._

" _Just ask Nagito-chan over there and he'll tell you Ibuki's not making this up. He was there to you know._ "

 _Deny._

" _And if Ibuki was dead do you'd think she'd be standing right here singing at you_?"

 _Deny._

" _So please back off or all your negativity's going to change the tempo of the song!_ "

 _Deny._

" _Nope, you still won't take no for an answer? Gosh, you're a stubborn one aren't you?_ "

 _Deny._

" _Ibuki won't stop either you know. Just listen to her rocking soul!_ "

 _Deny._

" _Please go away. Please go away. Oh won't you please stop bugging me."_

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

" _Ibuki doesn't take requests, her style is all her own! So if you don't like her original mix! Well then you can just shut up and go away! She's sure that eventually she'll find her way, her destiny is already set! You'll see it in matter of years I guarantee,_ _ **Ibuki Mioda**_ _in the rock star hall of fame!_ "

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – CAM YANO

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Ibuki Mioda** "; Ammunition needed: **Ibuki Mioda** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Cam.

"Ready as I'll ever be, you know," Cam replied.

" **I'M A GENIUS, YOU KNOW!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi version of Cam appearing on the screen. "Hmm, they are awfully loud aren't they?" chibi Cam asked. "Don't worry I got just the thing." Chibi Cam smiled a pulled a remote control out of his pocket. Then he pressed a button on the remote and suddenly Ibukikuma's amp doubled in volume. Then they tripled, quadrupled, quintupled, until finally…the amp's speaker burst from the intensity. Causing, even Ibukikuma to cover her ears from the noise and crushing her argument in the process. Chibi Cam snickered and spoke in a very loud tone to show that he was adjusting to the volume. "Sorry about that! You might be a little deaf in your right ear for a few minutes but it should be harmless! Hopefully!"

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Ibukikuma giggled maniacally as she morphed into her true form. "Well done my cute little pupils. You even managed to best this loudmouth. But let's see how you deal with an even bigger pain in the ass shall we. Ibuki thinks it will be quite the show!" the Mastermind exclaimed in Ibukikuma's voice. Ibukikuma left a portrait on the funeral altar and then she too left the pillar cage. And soon enough another robot clone took her place. This time it was Hiyoko Saionji.

"Humph, let's get this over with already," said Hiyokokuma, "I couldn't possibly bare to be in you losers' company for more than five minutes," she said in a snotty tone. Then she giggled mischievously. "Say your prayers…" then she raised both her arms in the air and exclaimed gleefully, "'Cause I'm about to smush you twerps like little anties! Yay!"

* * *

RDA – HIYOKO SAIONJI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"So what dimwitted excuse are you going to use on me?"

 _Deny._

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm petite, why if I had half a mind I could crush you where you stand you insignificant waste of space."

 _Deny._

"How dare you ignore me?! Do you not know who I am?! I'm more important than you'll ever be if you had a whole lifetime!"

 _Deny._

Hiyokokuma puffed out her cheeks in defiance. "This is boring. No one here is any fun to mess with. You're not even getting annoyed or upset, you're just ignoring me."

 _Deny._

"Why can't I go back to that island we were on? That rabbit thing was so much fun to mess with, I never got tired of making her cry. Plus, there were lots of little crabs on the beach to make go smush!"

 _Deny._

"I don't wanna play this boring game anymore. Not even Nagrossito is playing along, pretending like I'm making stuff up."

 _Deny._

"I am not lying! There was an island! I was going to have fun burying that dirty whore Mikan alive in the sand! And now it's all ruined!

 _Deny._

"You watch your tongue you, ugly troll! How dare you say that someone so cute went off and died!"

 _Deny._

"Nuh uh! There's no way I would ever kill myself! If I did die, then it was one of my crazy classmates who did it! Nagrossito, it has to be Nagrossito who's responsible! That or Mikan, but who am I kidding?" she said with a giggle. "Like that spineless, clumsy, coward would ever have the guts to kill anyone."

 _Deny._

"How dare you say Big sis Mahiru is dead too!" Hiyokokuma exclaimed. "You're asking for it!"

 _Deny._

"How long are you gonna keep this up?"

 _Deny._

Hiyokokuma began to tear up. "I-I'm not dead. I-I'm n-not."

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"No way! No way in hell! You're all liars! Nasty, ugly, dirty, trashy, liars! You're just making fun of me because **I'm petite, cute Hiyoko Saionji** and you're all jealous!" Hiyoko exclaimed with tears in her eyes. "I-I'm not dead…I'm not…I'm n…* _Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh_ *!" Hiyoko balled.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – CONNIE TAKEMI

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I'm petite, cute Hiyoko Saionji** "; Ammunition needed: **Hiyoko Saionji** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Connie.

"En garde, Monsieur Alice!" Connie exclaimed.

" **FRENCH TIME TWIST!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined a chibi version of Connie appearing on the screen. The chibi Connie turned to face Hiyokokuma's argument and then she brought her hands up to the clock that was sewn into her top hat, and began winding its hands counterclockwise. "Time for le reversal, no?" Connie said as she let go the clock and allowed it to tick backwards in time. Soon the entire screen froze in time and then things started moving backwards in time. And Hiyokokuma's argument ended up getting pushed back to her until it blew up in her face, knocking her out. Then the chibi Connie took a bow. "Au revoir, mon ami."

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Hiyokokuma stopped crying instantly and began to morph into her true form. Then she giggled and said, "No matter what you say I'm still cuter than you. Even if I am just a robot, you ugly pieces of trash! Die!" she exclaimed in a cheerful expression. Then she rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and left. And the next robot clone in line was none other than Mikan Tsumiki.

"U-Um, g-go easy on m-me, please," she stuttered out.

* * *

RDA – MIKAN TSUMIKI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"U-Um excuse me, what h-happened to t-the island we we-were all on? Ko-Komaeda-san, do you know?" Mikankuma asked.

 _Deny._

"It c-couldn't have just va-vanished could it? Or m-maybe it was just a dream?"

 _Deny._

"B-But it all seemed so real, even that t-talking rabbit dr-dressed up like a mag-magical girl."

 _Deny._

"And excuse me, b-but Komaeda-san w-who are th-these other people?"

 _Deny._

"Huh, m-mutual k-killing game? Ul-Ultimate Despair? W-What are you t-talking about?"

 _Deny._

"I'm s-sorry I-I'm being so dif-difficult. If you want, feel free to punish me. Y-You can throw rocks at me i-if you want, or e-even do ot-other things to my body."

 _Deny._

"I-I'll do anything for y-you if you t-tell the truth. Anything."

 _Deny._

Then she giggled and her stutter disappeared. "I think you're mistaken, what you really meant to say was that you're right Mikan, right? You wanted to punish me right? The offer still stands. I'll do anything for people who are kind to me. And I mean anything."

 _Deny._

"No, that's not it. Come on, are you saying you'll pass up such a great opportunity to use me as your personal whore? You don't know what you're missing."

 _Deny._

"Please, tell the truth. Pretty please?"

 _Deny._

"I want the truth."

 _Deny._

"Please tell the truth or else I'm going to get upset."

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

Then all of a sudden she flipped out. "You stupid motherfuckers! What the hell is your Goddamn problem?! Saying such stupid things despite what I'm offering you?! Don't you love Mikan?! She'll do anything for you! Just please love her! Why doesn't anybody love **Mikan Tsumiki**?!" Mikankuma shouted as she pulled at her hair.

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NAGITO KOMAEDA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Mikan Tsumiki** "; Ammunition needed: **Mikan Tsumiki** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Nagito.

"I'm so happy you called on me again, let's both do our best," said Nagito.

" **FOR HOPE'S SAKE!** " we both shouted. Chibi Nagito reappeared on the screen and repeated the same actions that he used to deal with Teruterukuma.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Mikankuma morphed forms as well and then she giggled manically. "You didn't even respond to a prostrate approach. Seriously what kind of teenagers are you?" Mikankuma rested a portrait down on the funeral altar before leaving and being replaced by a robot clone of Nekomaru Nidai.

"I'll make you spill your guts really quick, 'cause I've gotta go take a biiiiiiiiiiiiiggggg shit," said Nekomarukuma.

* * *

RDA – NEKOMARU NIDAI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Don't be thinking I'm some pushover just because my name starts with neko, you tussle with me and you better believe you've got to work hard."

 _Deny._

"My method is C. O. A. C. H.! Cooperation between player and manager is key! Organization improves your motivation! Agonizing but rewarding training! Uh…Cooperation is so important that it's in there twice! And Hell which is what you must be willing to endure to be the best!"

 _Deny._

"If I was your team manager I'd be shocked as shit to see how far you're willing to go to prove yourselves!"

 _Deny._

"Let's get one thing straight right now! I don't waste my time with quitters! So don't stop now give me all you've got!"

 _Deny._

"You want to make me believe your outrageous story?! Then put some Goddamn force into it! Make me believe it!"

 _Deny._

"You don't have the guts do you?! You want to quit don't you?!"

 _Deny._

"I demand that everyone who trains with me gives a 150% effort! Giving 50% more than possible proves you have the makings of a champion!"

 _Deny._

"What you're saying may not make any sense to me but I admire your spirit in trying to convince me! You say I'm dead, well I say that you should prove to me it's true!"

 _Deny._

"But now that you mention it a lot of strange shit has been going down lately. Just a little while ago I was pretty sure I was on an island with my class. Something about a school trip. That's a drag too, I was planning to make a rigorous beach training regimen to whip everyone into shape."

 _Deny._

"I wonder; could you guys really be telling the truth. Am I really dead?"

 _Deny._

"No what am I saying?! No way that shit's true!"

 _Deny._

"Training is over, it's time to play for real now! I'm taking off the kid gloves!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"I'm not going down without a fight! You want to make quit then you've gotta convince me with all you might! Show me the fruit of your training! Literally, scare the shit out of me! That is the only way you're going to take down **ol' Nekomaru Nidai**!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NATE BARON

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **ol' Nekomaru Nidai** "; Ammunition needed: **Nekomaru Nidai** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Nate.

"These are the results of my training!" Nate exclaimed.

" **KILLER MOVES!** " we both shouted. Much like before, the chibi Nate appeared on screen and sliced and diced up Nekomarukuma's argument.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Nekomarukuma morphed into his true form and then uttered a hardy laugh. "Good job guys! You really made your coach proud!" he exclaimed as he wiped away fake tears with his arm. Then Nekomarukuma rested a portrait on the funeral altar and then left. And afterwards another robot clone came and took his place, this time in the form of Gundham Tanaka.

"Be forewarned mortals! When I am finished with you I'll have you exposed as the lying fiends that you are! Do not mess with the Supreme Overlord of Ice!" Gundhamkuma shouted as he cackled wickedly.

* * *

RDA – GUNDHAM TANAKA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Foolish mortals, you dare to challenge the might of the Tanaka empire!" Gundhamkuma exclaimed as he brought out four stuffed hamsters that were hidden on his person. "The Dark Devas of Destruction and I shall teach you a lesson you shan't forget!"

 _Deny._

"Burn in the flames of pandemonium!"

 _Deny._

"You wish to repent your sins?! I shall not be swayed by meager words! My evil eye can see your deception!"

 _Deny._

"Fear the name Gundham Tanaka!"

 _Deny._

"This is indeed a heated battle, but luckily my soul is at eternal peace due to being taken to that tropical paradise from another dimension! I experienced pure bliss there with the others, just being there made me feel as if anything was possible! I shall not be beaten so easily!"

 _Deny._

"I am destruction!"

 _Deny._

"Begging won't save you now! The final judgement is upon you!"

 _Deny._

"Go Supernova Silver Fox San-D! Fly Mirage Golden Hawk Jum-P! Trample them Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z! Make them burn Invading Black Dragon Cham-P!"

 _Deny._

Gundhamkuma seemed very taken back that his hamsters were so unresponsive. He gasped, "Impossible! My Dark Devas have been beaten so easily?!"

 _Deny._

"It can't be?! Are you too a descendant of the Nephilim blood line?!"

 _Deny._

"No I will not be deterred! I will face you myself if that is what it takes!"

 _Deny._

"I shall not believe a word of your lies! The wicked white-haired fiend is amongst you; therefore, I know your intentions are purely chaotic!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"Hear me now fiends! The one who shall usher the world into an era of chaos shall be I! **Gundham Tanaka the Supreme Overlord of Ice**!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NODAKA HOSHI

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Gundham Tanaka the Supreme Overlord of Ice** "; Ammunition needed: **Gundham Tanaka** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Nodaka.

"Let's show this delusional idiot some tag-team fury!" Nodaka exclaimed.

" **MAID RULES!** " we both shouted. Then chibi Nodaka reappeared on the screen and slashed away at Gundhamkuma's argument.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Gundhamkuma morphed into his true form and then let out another cackle. "Even in death I can still find a way to bring chaos to the world! Thus, is the might of the Supreme Overlord of Ice!" Gundhamkuma rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and then left. And soon another robot clone took his place, this time in the form of Chiaki Nanami.

"This is basically one big video game so I should win…I think," said Chiakikuma.

* * *

RDA – CHIAKI NANAMI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Fujisaki-san is here, huh? Just in time too, have you made any more games? I already beat the last one you made."

 _Deny._

"Mutual killing game? That doesn't sound very fun. Why did you make a game like that?"

 _Deny._

"The game is real, and I was one of its victims? I'm usually open to a lot of things but even that sounds hard to believe, doesn't it?"

 _Deny._

"This isn't a game; this is real life…well at least for us it is. To the player outside not so much."

 _Deny._

"Who would want to do something so horrible to their friends? It's not right, if you are telling the truth then we have to stop it."

 _Deny._

"I…I was killed trying to stop it? And someone took my place as me?"

 _Deny._

"Two me's? If this were under any other circumstances, I'd be excited. I could play twice as many video games that way."

 _Deny._

"I think I remember…sort of. The others…Junko Enoshima…she did something to them."

 _Deny._

"What was it? It was something bad, something really bad."

 _Deny._

"Komaeda-kun and my classmates they watched some kind of weird anime and then…oh no!" Chiakikuma exclaimed with fear in her eyes.

 _Deny._

"We have to stop her! We have to stop her before it's too late!"

 _Deny._

"Listen to me! If we don't do something they'll be lost forever!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

Then Chiakikuma looked directly at Izuru. "It's you, isn't it?! You have to remember, right?! You said you'd stop her, remember?! You promised me. You promised me when…I died." She finally calmed down and realized her fate. " **Chiaki Nanami is dead**. She was one of the very first victims of Ultimate Despair."

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – IZURU KAMUKURA

* * *

(Contradiction to agree with: " **Chiaki Nanami is dead** "; Ammunition needed: **Chiaki Nanami** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Izuru.

"I'm sorry for what's been done to you. I swear I'll avenge you," Izuru said to Chiakikuma.

" **ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined chibi version Izuru appearing on the screen. "Allow me to show you what my talent's all about. Remember, I can copy other people's talents." A PS VITA gaming system appeared next to chibi Izuru that was loaded with the Danganronpa 3 game inside. Chibi Izuru began playing the game very skillfully using his perception of Chiakikuma's talent. And as he played the miniature game the crosshair cursor for the actual game started to move into position just above Chiakikuma's weak point. Then chibi Izuru hit the triangle button and blasted his truth bullet just a real truth bullet was launched. "How did he say it again? Oh right, I agree with that," chibi Izuru said in a lax manner.

* * *

CONSENT!

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Chiakikuma began to morph appearance as well. And then she began to mischievously giggle. "What's the matter Izuru-kun? No need to be so depressed. It's not like you had some kind of history with her or anything," said the Mastermind, in Chiaki's voice.

"…" Izuru remained silent and simply looked away. But out of the corner of my eye I could see something. A single tear strolling down Izuru's cheek.

'Izuru?' I gave him a look of concern. And then I turned back to Chiakikuma and glared at her with hate in my eyes. "How much longer are you going to make us play these stupid games?!"

"Don't worry, you're almost finished. Just a few more rounds and you're home free. So let's not have any further delays." Chiakikuma rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and then left. And then another robot clone came and took her place. This time a robot clone of Kazuichi Soda.

"Engines revving! Time to leave you punks behind in the dust!" Kazuichikuma exclaimed. And then suddenly he began to glitch much like Makotokuma had done before. And when he unglitched again he seemed like a completely different person.

"Alright I managed to make it in too, which means the others should be golden as well." He looked at us all with concern in his eyes. "Whoa, I completely forgot what this must feel like. God, it has been a long time, hasn't it? Except now I'm on the outside looking in, it's really trippy. Look guys, we have a lot to talk about, but if you're gonna get through this then you're going to have to listen to me and the others right now," he said in a serious tone.

"No more games. We know you're an imposter," I replied.

"No, the other one was an imposter. I'm the real deal, I swear!" Kazuichikuma implored. Then he blinked a few times in surprise. "Wait, now that I say it out loud that does sound confusing. Ugh, crap how do I explain this?" he asked himself.

* * *

RDA – KAZUICHI SODA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Um okay I guess the first thing I should say is that um…well basically, none of this is real."

 _Deny._

"Now I know that sounds like a lie but it isn't. I'm not a robot, and neither was Naegi-kun. Well I mean technically he was and is…and actually I am too but you're not getting the whole story."

 _Deny._

"There's AIs inside these robot versions of us you see. And we sort of managed to hack into their servers and take control of the AIs, but so far the only ones are Naegi-kun and I. The others aren't here to do that."

 _Deny._

"Look the important thing is that you don't have any reason to fight us. We're here to rescue you."

 _Deny._

"I'm serious, we aren't a threat. We're actually your only hope to get out of here permanently."

 _Deny._

"Naegi-kun tried to convince you he was on your side earlier, didn't he? Well I'm the same okay. I'm not the Kazuichi from a few minutes ago, I am the real deal."

 _Deny._

"I hung myself?!" Kazuichikuma exclaimed in terror. "No way in this world I killed myself?! What the hell is this Mastermind's problem?!"

 _Deny._

"The others killed themselves too?! Dammit, this guy is way worse than Junko ever was!"

 _Deny._

"I'm serious you can't listen to the lies! You guys have heard so many of them that you're literally caught in a web of them!"

 _Deny._

"Whatever you do, don't trust Komaeda you have no idea what he's capable of! Trust me, I used to be the same way!"

 _Deny._

"Even if it's not the real him he's just as dangerous if not more so!"

 _Deny._

"I swear I'm telling you the truth! Naegi-kun's still alive, I'm still alive, and the others…well some of them are at least partially alive but the point is none of these things you've heard have ever happened! You're being tricked!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You're making a huge mistake! You've gotta believe me! **I am the real Kazuichi Soda!** "

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – IZURU KAMUKURA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am the real Kazuichi Soda** "; Ammunition needed: **Kazuichi Soda** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Izuru.

"Here's what I say to your tricks," said Izuru.

" **ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined the chibi Izuru appearing on the screen again, and then a new object appeared next to him. This time it was a toolbox. "I've never actually used any of these before, but I'm sure it's simple." Chibi Izuru quickly went to work using the tools to destroy Kazuichikuma's argument. He hit it with a hammer, sawed through it, even stabbed it with a screwdriver until finally Kazuichikuma's argument crumbled into dust. "Not exactly intended use but they get the job done," said chibi Izuru.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Kazuichikuma looked taken back. "No, no, no, no. Don't you guys realize what you've done?!"

"We aren't going to be fooled any longer," I replied.

"You're being fooled right now. You're playing into the Mastermind's hands. If you don't quit while you're ahead y-you're g-going t-to be tra-tapped," Kazuichikuma stuttered out. He appeared to be glitching again and then when he finally stopped, similar to what happened with Makotokuma, Kazuichikuma seemed like a completely different person.

"Aw chucks, better luck next time, eh?" Kazuichikuma said with a chuckle as he morphed into his true form. "So that's who the rat brought with him, eh? The good ol' B-team, I wonder if he's here too. If he is he's probably getting a kick out of this now. I can just imagine his face," Kazuichikuma said with another chuckle. "Priceless!" Kazuichikuma then rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and then left the pillar cage. Allowing, another robot clone to take his place. This time it was Sonia Nevermind.

"In the name of my home country I shall smite the wrongdoers who have bested my friends. Prepare yourselves for a devil of a skirmish you knaves!" Soniakuma exclaimed. Then Soniakuma began to glitch as well, and then much like Kazuichikuma and Makotokuma her whole demeanor seemed to change.

"Is that how I used to talk?" Soniakuma asked herself. Her cheeks blushed in embarrassment. "How embarrassing, even a queen would never sound like that."

"Let me guess you're the real Sonia Nevermind?" Nodaka asked in a condescending way.

"I can detect sarcasm form a mile away you know," Soniakuma replied as she stuck her hands on her hips.

"Not the Sonia-chan I remember," said Nagito. "Honestly, the only reason Teruteru-kun wasn't able to do anything perverted to you was because I had to stop you before you did so. You were a nice girl but really your head was full of nothing but air."

"I don't have to justify myself to you of all people!" Soniakuma shouted at Nagito. "Honestly after all you put us through sometimes I wish you would've really died!"

"Ouch, where's the third degree coming from all of a sudden, Sonia-chan?" Nagito asked.

Soniakuma calmed down and simply frowned at Nagito. "You really have no idea do you?" then she turned to the rest of us and said, "Okay listen and listen good. I have come here to put a stop to this once and for all. There's a way out, a small little hole to the Mastermind's game but it can only be accessed from the outside. Which is why Naegi-kun and us have come here to talk to you. All you need to do is trust us and do what we say and we can get you out of here. So come on, let's stop this game before it truly begins!"

"We're not going anywhere with you. We're going to win and destroy Ultimate Despair from the inside out starting with the Mastermind. You're just one of his puppets, that's more than enough reason not to listen to you. Now get ready, because we're not holding back no matter what."

Soniakuma grunted. "Insolent little fool. You don't know what you're doing, stop acting so foolish and just hear me out!"

"No more words, only action," said Izuru. "If the Mastermind wants a fight then we'll give him one."

"That's right, it's time to end this," I said.

"Sorry Soniakuma-chan but you know, you've got to do what you've got to do," said Nagito.

"I see. I didn't want have to do this but if you won't listen then I guess I have no choice. I'll have to take you all out of here kicking and screaming!" Soniakuma exclaimed.

* * *

RDA – SONIA NEVERMIND

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"I didn't want it to have to come to this. Honestly why can't you lot just behave?"

 _Deny._

"The truth of the matter is quite simple. You have been lied to from the very beginning."

 _Deny._

"The school closing down because of abductions? If only things were really that way. But I'm afraid the truth is much more horrible."

 _Deny._

"This school's name is tainted with blood. Everyone to ever step foot on this campus has blood on their hands. And I am hesitant to say that I am no exception."

 _Deny._

"It was Junko's fault. She was the one who started it all, but we were the ones who helped her. We are just as guilty as she is."

 _Deny._

"No, I am not a member of Ultimate Despair!" Soniakuma frowned. "At least not anymore."

 _Deny._

"No, I didn't kill myself! That part at least is a lie!"

 _Deny._

"An island? The others remembered the island?" Soniakuma's eyes widened. "Then that must mean…!"

 _Deny._

"Please desist! I implore you to listen to me! We are both on the same side!"

 _Deny._

"I want to stop the despair just as much as you do but trust me when I say that this isn't the way!"

 _Deny._

"It's a rigged game! We were just like you in the beginning, we didn't think anything bad was going to happen because we didn't realize at the time what had already been done to us! Why it was so easy to push us over the edge!"

 _Deny._

"It'll happen to you too! It's an unavoidable ending! Which is why we're trying to save you all before it begins!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"Please, I implore you to think rationally! In this kind of game, the only way to win is to step over the bodies of your friends! Don't make the same mistakes we did, like so many others before us! You have a one in a million chance to make it out on the other end all together! Just listen to me! I am the princess of the once proud kingdom of Novoselic, **Sonia Nevermind** , and I am your only hope!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – IZURU KAMUKURA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Sonia Nevermind** "; Ammunition needed: **Sonia Nevermind** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Izuru.

"I'll show them the truth," said Izuru.

" **ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined chibi Izuru appearing on the screen again. "Her talent is Ultimate Princess so I wonder what I'll be getting this time," chibi Izuru said to himself. As if on cue a gigantic glass slipper stepped onto Soniakuma's argument, squashing it in an instant. Chibi Izuru shrugged his shoulders, "Meh, symbolic I guess."

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"No. No this can't be," Soniakuma said with tears in her eyes. "Why? Why do you want to play so badly? Don't you realize what's at stake? The sacrifices you will have to make? The bonds that you'll end up breaking?"

"The bonds that we've forged here today will not be broken so easily," I replied. "We have already made up our minds to fight. Nothing you say can convince us otherwise, Mastermind."

Soniakuma shook her head. "You don't understand. Y-You d-don't un-und-understand," then she began to glitch again, and when she stopped glitching her entire demeanor changed.

"How could I lose so easily?! Now I'll never become queen!" Soniakuma exclaimed as she morphed into her true form. Then she rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and exited the pillar cage. And afterwards a new robot clone came inside to take her place. This time it was Akane Owari.

"Yo whassup guys?" Akanekuma said with a dopey looking grin. She stepped up to the empty stand and then she stuck her pinky finger into her ear, presumably to clean it out. "Hey, look don't take this personally or anything but since I'm one of the last ones I can't afford to take any chances." When her ear was cleaned to standard satisfaction she flicked the remnants of ear wax that was left on her pinky out into the air. "So yeah, I'm going to have to go all out on you guys. Hope you don't mind." And then she too began to glitch out.

When she finally unglitched she began to shiver erratically. "Brrr, I almost forgot what this felt like. How can you guys stand living like this? Don't you feel weird at all?" she said between her shivers.

"Seriously what's with the Mastermind going the extra mile for authenticity? Let me guess you're the real Owari-senpai, right?" Sawa asked.

Akanekuma looked surprised to hear this. "You…remember me? That's weird, you're not supposed to remember anything. That's the way it's supposed to be. Ugh, why is everything so freaking topsy-turvy here?! It's making my head spin!"

"Shouldn't you be the one to tell us, I mean you're one of the Mastermind's AI puppets right? Or are you programmed to think that you're actually Akane Owari?" Jose asked.

"Programmed? What the hell are you talking about? There's only one Akane Owari, and that's me you hear!" Akanekuma suddenly shouted.

* * *

RDA – AKANE OWARI

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Alright listen up squirts and listen good! I'm here to break your butts out of this joint!"

 _Deny._

"Don't you take any lip with me! I swear to God, it's like I'm talking to my younger siblings."

 _Deny._

"Sick, yeah if all that was left to eat was dead bodies I might kill myself yeah, but thank God nothing like that ever happened! Well there was this one time where we were all trapped and I got so hungry that I almost ate Hajime but it didn't go to cannibalism!"

 _Deny._

"Who the hell's been telling you all this crap?! Kazuichi, Sonia, Fuyuhiko, Hajime, and I are all alive you morons! You shouldn't believe everything you hear!"

 _Deny._

"No I didn't mean me stupid! Listen to me!"

 _Deny._

Akanekuma sighed. "What do I gotta do to convince you that I'm the real deal?"

 _Deny._

"Seriously should I just bribe you with my body and see if you take the bait?"

 _Deny._

She winked. "'Cause if that will work, I'll totally make it worth you guys' while later if you just follow me out of here. You can do anything you want I'm not picky. And as for the girls…um, I'll find some way to make it up to you later."

 _Deny._

"Oh come on?! Will you just hear me out!"

 _Deny._

"Seriously, I feel like a freaking broken record right about now!"

 _Deny._

"God you guys are a pain in the ass, I've got about half a mind just to leave you here."

 _Deny._

"I was joking! There's no way I'd do that stupid!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"You guys are the worst! Just listen to me already! All this stuff that the Mastermind and that other Nagito over there are shoveling you is pure crap! Don't believe a word of it! There is no winning this game! You'll all eventually kill each other! And I am alive! **My name is Akane Owari** and I am absolutely, positively, 100% alive!

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – IZURU KAMUKURA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute:" **My name is Akane Owari** "; Ammunition needed: **Akane Owari** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Izuru.

"Ready to win," said Izuru.

" **ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined the chibi Izuru appearing on the screen once again. "What's it going to be this time? The uncertainty's killing me," said chibi Izuru. And then an umbrella appeared next to him. He reached out for the umbrella and then opened it up over his head. "I don't get it, she's the Ultimate Gymnast, what does an umbrella have to do with her talent?" Then something fell on top of chibi Izuru's umbrella. He looked up and saw that it was raining. But it wasn't ordinary rain, it started to rain food. "Oh I get it, because she's a glutton. That's clever," said chibi Izuru. The food storm started to pick up and become more severe as food rained down from the heavens, covering the entire screen and getting rid of Akanekuma's argument, as well as chibi Izuru. "Out of sight out of mind, right?" a muffled voice said form beneath the mountain of food.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"No way," Akanekuma looked really taken back. "You morons do you have any idea what you've done! Do you know how this is all going to end?! Death, all this is going to lead to is endless death! I oughta c-come ov-over there ri-right now and sm-smack some sen-sense into y-you," Akanekuma stuttered out before she began to glitch again.

And then when she was done glitching she morphed into her true form. "Heh, you guys are so stupid," she said before resting a portrait down on the funeral altar and leaving. Then another robot clone came and took her place, this time in the form of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu.

"Let's get one thing straight you bastards. I don't like you, so that means you're already my enemy. And my enemies have a nasty habit of disappearing so you'd be wise to watch your backs. You have no idea who you're messing with, but you're about to," said Fuyuhikokuma. Then he began to glitch out as well.

"Oh great, here we go again," said Micho.

True to her words, a brand new Fuyuhikokuma soon appeared. "God, did I always sound like such a prick? Dammit, no wonder making friends with everyone was so tough. It's a freaking miracle I have any at all."

"You're the real Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, right?" I asked.

"Damn right," Fuyuhikokuma replied. "And you guys must be the retards who keep turning down our help. It's time we had a little talk, don't you think?"

* * *

RDA – FUYUHIKO KUZURYUU

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"Now first off I want to know one thing. This world's Peko is she…you know?"

 _Deny._

Fuyuhikokuma sighed. "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up."

 _Deny._

"Anyway, back to business. You guys have got to be the dumbest bastards in the history of ever!"

 _Deny._

"We keep saying over and over again that we're on your side but do you listen?! Hell no! God of all the stupid people in the world you seriously take the retard cake!"

 _Deny._

"Sorry, I know I'm coming off as harsh but just seriously?! Goddamn, how stupid can you be?!"

 _Deny._

"There is no winning this game idiots! Once you start you can only hope to make it out with the least body count!"

 _Deny._

"You want to know why?! It's a rigged game dumbass! The stakes are set against you from the very beginning because of its' design! Don't you think it's odd that you can give into despair so easily?! It's because they fucked with your mind dumbass!"

 _Deny._

"It's the same way for everybody! You all got your minds royally fucked by Ultimate Despair! Brainwashing dumbass!"

 _Deny._

"There were no abductions that closed down the school! It closed down for a much bloodier reason!"

 _Deny._

"Yes I know my sister's dead dumbass! She'd dead in the other world too!"

 _Deny._

"What?! Who the hell's Hitomi?! You mean Natsumi, right?! Jesus, how fucked up are your heads?!"

 _Deny._

"God, how hard is this to understand?! None of this shit is real, crap for brains!"

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"This shit show has gone on long enough! Come on, I'm getting you assholes out of here whether you like it or not! Don't be so fucking stubborn! I'm trying to help you, stupid! I'm not the guy I was back then! From now on, **Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu** does not turn his back on a person in need!"

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – IZURU KAMUKURA

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu** "; Ammunition needed: **Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu** ). "Are you ready?!" I asked Izuru.

"Aren't I always?" Izuru asked.

" **ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER!** " we both shouted. Then I imagined chibi Izuru reappearing on the screen yet again. "What will I do next?" chibi Izuru asked. Then a black fedora hat appeared on chibi Izuru's head and a semi-automatic rifle appeared in his hands. "Heh, it's hard to find this boring." Chibi Izuru cocked his semi-auto and then fired relentlessly at Fuyuhikokuma's argument. Soon Fuyuhikokuma's argument had so many bullet holes in it that it collapsed under its own weight. "Hmm, that was surprisingly fun. No wonder Ikusaba-chan likes these things so much."

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

Fuyuhikokuma was very surprised. "No! Can't be! What the hell is the matter with you people?! All I was trying to do was help you! What don't you understand about that, you dumbasses?!"

"Would you drop the act already? You are not young master Fuyuhiko so just stop pretending already," said Nodaka. "Just…just go away already."

"Young master?" Fuyuhikokuma repeated her words in confusion.

"The only person who ever really called me that was Peko. Well her and the other people who worked for the clan. But you…I don't recognize. Who…? Who are you?! W-What do y-you kn-know?!" Then Fuyuhikokuma began to glitch out again. And when he finally stopped glitching he began to morph into his true form. Then Fuyuhikokuma chuckled, "You're not going to tell me you missed that, right?"

We all turned to look at Nodaka. But it appeared that she herself didn't even know what to make of Fuyuhikokuma's strange utterance. 'He didn't recognize her? How?' I asked myself.

"Oh well. All's well that ends well I guess. Nice work kiddies, just two more to go. Let's see if you can stick it out till the end." Fuyuhikokuma rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and then he turned to leave. And then another robot clone came and took his place. I knew it was only a matter of time till it came to this, yet another face to face encounter with Hajime Hinata.

"Alright that's it, you guys weren't supposed to make it this far so I have to do something right now to stop you. I may not have an amazing talent like all the others but I'm still going to give it my all!" Hajimekuma exclaimed. And then he started to glitch out just like all the others had done before.

And when he stopped glitching his demeanor did a complete 180. "This is the end. Congratulations, you guys have completely blown it. I'm your last chance to be rescued. I want to help you but after seeing the way you guys have acted with the others I doubt that anything I say to you guys is going to convince you to see the error in your ways. I'm not like them, I'm not talented…not anymore at least," Hajimekuma said as he looked over at Izuru.

"…" Izuru simply looked back at him.

"I used to think that this school was a prime example of what mankind could accomplish when it set its mind to something. I admired this place since I was little and I wished more than anything that one day I too could experience what it felt like to be a Hope's Peak Academy student. But as soon as I got here I found out what this place was truly like. You see, even before Junko Enoshima started school here, this school was already cruel, cold, and despicable. All she did was expose the truth behind this horrible hellhole. What they did to people like him," Hajimekuma said motioning to Izuru, "Can never be forgiven. There were a few good people sure, but the bad outweighed the good. The reason the world is so fucked up right now doesn't begin with Ultimate Despair. Ultimate Despair was simply the spark that lit the fuse to the bomb Hope's Peak Academy had been making for decades. The truth is, Hope's Peak Academy is just as worse, if not more so, than Ultimate Despair."

Hajimekuma shook his head. "Everyone in this horrible situation we have found ourselves in has blood on their hands in one way or another. You guys aren't exceptions. But you see, here's the thing. I've learned something since my time here, just because your past is shrouded in darkness doesn't mean that your future can't be a bright one. No one can make decisions for you. It's all up to you. That's why I'm not going to fight you over this. The others tried to convince you and you turned them down time and time again so I'm not going to expect you to treat me any different. I just want you to tell me why. Why do you want to play this game?"

* * *

RDA – HAJIME HINATA

* * *

BEGIN!

* * *

"The future isn't set in stone."

 _Deny._

"The choices that you make today can affect your lives for better or worse."

 _Deny._

"In the end, choices aren't just what define us, they're what shape our future."

 _Deny._

"But what really sets you apart from others is your commitment to your choices. You can't let anyone chose your path for you. It's your life, you should live it the way you want."

 _Deny._

"Don't let anyone stand in your way."

 _Deny._

"Don't back down."

 _Deny._

"If you want to fight then fight."

 _Deny._

"If you want to quit then by all means let me help you."

 _Deny._

"It's your decision."

 _Deny._

"You choose."

 _Deny._

"Nobody else can make it for you."

 _Deny._

"So I want to hear what you want to do."

 _Deny._

* * *

TARGET THE HEAD

* * *

HEADSHOT! 0 BODY PARTS REMAINING!

* * *

"Do you want to keep fighting? Or do you want to leave this place forever? It's a time-based decision so choose wisely because you only have a short window of opportunity. It's all on you. **I am the real Hajime Hinata** , believe it or not. It's your choice. Whatever you choose I'll accept it."

* * *

PICK YOUR ALLY

* * *

ALLY SET – NO ALLY

* * *

(Contradiction to refute: " **I am the real Hajime Hinata** "; Ammunition needed: **Hajime Hinata** ).

" **I'LL NEVER LET ANYONE CHOOSE AGAIN!** " I shouted. I imagined a bright red crosshair target appearing over the weak point in Hajimekuma's argument. I pulled the trigger and let the truth bullet fly right on target to the weak point, breaking Hajimekuma's argument into pieces.

* * *

BREAK!

* * *

"We already decided to fight against Ultimate Despair," I replied. "We'll play and beat the Mastermind at their own game. And we'll avenge the real Hajime Hinata and all the other students who were needlessly sacrificed for this sick path of destruction that Ultimate Despair has dedicated itself to creating. We will not stop until Ultimate Despair burns to ashes at our feet. Blood for blood, that's how this is going to end."

Hajimekuma shook his head. "Malice begets malice, someone taught me that once through their own actions. I saw how much hate had warped them, turning them into the very definition of a monster. Their hate consumed them and because of that they ended up doing something unforgivable, something that made them no better than Ultimate Despair. I can never truly forgive them, but at the same time I have to thank them because if it weren't for their actions I might've never realized the truth. So if possible one day I'd like to thank them…right before I kick their ass." Hajimekuma's eyes were planted squarely at Nagito.

"…" Nagito simply stared back at him.

"Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair herself, killed the real Hajime Hinata, who was someone that I admired for a long time. He was my goal, I wanted to be a true advocator of hope just like him. Even now, after seeing the horrible underside of the hopeful world that I wished to be part of so bad that I was given the title of Ultimate Wannabe, I still admire him. I will avenge him even if it's the last thing I ever do. I will avenge him."

"And what makes you think that he would want vengeance?" Hajimekuma asked.

"…" I remained silent.

"Back when I was a student here I started out in the Reserve Department too, and I remember this guy in my class there. He was quiet for the most part, always sat in the back of the class, never had any extracurriculars, or hung out with anyone after school. All I would ever see him do was stare out the window and daydream as he mindlessly drew whatever thought was in his head. He may have not been all that intelligent considering he never payed attention in class but he was very creative and imaginative. I took a look at his drawings when he wasn't looking once and honestly I had never seen such amazing talent. The way he drew things was like he was taking a picture with his mind. I never got the chance to tell him how amazing his work was but from that point on I ended up admiring that guy and I was always eager to see how he would surprise me next. I only regret that I never got the chance to ask him to be my friend. I'm sure us too nobodies, could prove that natural talent wasn't the only way to be an Ultimate. Hard work and perseverance, and even some creativity and imagination can turn you into someone truly amazing."

I sighed. "You know, that guy wasn't just naturally gifted when it came to drawing. He started when he was young, and back than he couldn't draw worth shit. But after a lot of practice he got to be at least mediocre. I wouldn't exactly use the word amazing though."

"I would, and maybe the real Hajime would too," Hajimekuma replied too.

"I thought you said you were the real Hajime?" Nate replied.

"Like I said, it's your choice. If you guys say I'm not the real Hajime Hinata, then I guess I'm not the real Hajime Hinata," Hajimekuma replied. Then he sighed. "I don't know if we'll even get the chance to meet again. After this the Mastermind might shut us out permanently. So I guess…this is the end. G-Goodbye, I h-hope you gu-guys ma-make it out of th-this o-okay," Hajimekuma stuttered out before he started glitching again. And then when he finally stopped glitching and just like all the others before him, his whole demeanor instantly changed. "Well I guess that's it." Then he morphed into his true form. "Th-They're gone for good. Congratulations on resisting those imposters' temptations my young pupils. You guys have really done it now," Hajimekuma said with a chuckle. Then he rested a portrait down on the funeral altar and exited the pillar cage.

And then we heard her voice once again. " _Bravo, Brava! Excellent work my little puppets! You have made your Queen very happy! Seeing that hate in your eyes, that overwhelming need to crush your enemy! Ooh, it gave me chills! But now it's time for the main event, let's see how you fare against..._ " and then we were surprised to see that the next person to enter the pillar cage was Junko Enoshima herself, " _the Queen of Despair herself!_ " Junko stepped up to the stand while speaking into a microphone to emphasize her voice. " _So come now my despairful little sheeplings! Make my day!_ "

"This is it," said Micho. "It all comes down to this."

"It feels like it's been forever since we started this class trial. Almost like another year has passed actually," said Shiro.

"Don't start saying dumb stuff now. Let's just be serious for once and get through with this already," said Nodaka.

"You heard the tsundere, let's get this show on the road!" Nate exclaimed.

Nodaka growled. "For the last time, I'm not a tsundere!"

"Denying it just makes you seem worse," said Beigoma.

"You shut up you little twerp," Nodaka barked back at Beigoma.

"So much for not saying any dumb stuff," Jose said with a sigh.

"Idiots till the end," said Jonathan.

"Enough, let's just end this already," said Yasuke.

"Yeah let's go, if we all work together we can beat her easily," said Sawa.

"You can count on me mes amis," said Connie.

"Me too," said Keiko.

"I'll fight too," said Chihiro.

"And if she's fighting then you know I'm sure as hell fighting," said Cam.

"All for one and one for all!" Aya exclaimed.

"Let's show this bitch what for!" Deva shouted.

"Azami-tan too hebi!" Azami exclaimed.

"I've been so looking forward to this day. The day where the person I hate the most is killed," said Nagito.

"Easier said than done," said Izuru.

But then I noticed something, this person she looked like Junko for sure but she was missing one small detail. "Wait a second, something's not right," I said.

"Eh? What's not right?" Micho asked.

" _Yeah? What's the matter Akira-kun? You lost your nerve already?_ " Junko asked through her microphone.

"No that's not it. I just want to make sure if we do this that we're fighting the real Junko Enoshima. No more fakes, no more look-alikes, no more robot clones. I'll fight Junko, but it has to be the real Junko. I won't settle for a fake," I replied.

" _Oh and how do you know I'm not the real Junko Enoshima if I may ask?_ " Junko asked.

(Ammunition needed: **Junko's hairbands** ). "That's it!" I exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure the real Junko Enoshima would never leave her hairbands behind. What would be the point? After all, considering the fact that the Ultimate Imposter was wearing a pair of them, and the fact that the real Junko was also wearing them she should have a pretty hefty supply of them. She wouldn't leave them behind unless she wanted me to figure it out. Just another test, eh?"

Junko smirked. She turned off her megaphone and spoke to me normally. "Very clever, yep you got me. It was just another test."

"Why? What else could you possibly want to test us for?" Yasuke asked.

"This wasn't a test for you," Junko replied. Then she smiled at me. "This was just a test for one person in particular. And that person passed. Which means…" then she morphed into her true form, "I don't have to pretend anymore. You played and won the game so let's just call us square and move on with that." And then as if on cue, the earth began to shake again and the stone pillars that encircled us sank back into the floor. "So where's the real Junko then?" Micho asked.

"Right here my young pupils." A whimsical sounding voice appeared out of nowhere. We looked up and then saw that Monokuma was no longer sitting in his throne. Instead, it was inhabited by a Monokuma-shaped plushy and a blonde twin-tailed girl who was hiding behind it. "I can't believe you guys didn't notice that we switched places on you. Why do you guys think I didn't say a single word during all of that? You guys are so gullible it's almost ridiculous," Junko said while mimicking Monokuma's voice. "But just to be sure that you guys haven't been completely by anything those nasty imposter robots were saying? Pop quiz! Who killed Hajime Hinata?" Junko asked.

(Ammunition needed: **Junko Enoshima** ). "This is our answer!" I shouted. "Junko Enoshima, when you look at all the facts that's the only person who it could have been. Junko was the one who spearheaded this game from the very beginning, she was the one responsible for creating Ultimate Despair and abducting us. Everything has been part of her plan from the get-go. And even now, when she's about to be executed she's still pulling the strings. The other Mastermind is just her minion, a pale imitation compared to the original. Even when she dies she'll become a martyr for her followers and this cycle of chaos will just go on and on with someone new taking up the mantle as Ultimate Despair. That's why we will execute her today for her crimes, then find the other Mastermind and get rid of them as well. And we will not stop until all of Ultimate Despair is dead at our feet."

"…" the others remained silent.

Then Junkokuma giggled. "Your hate for them is admirable. You're right to hate them as much as you do, don't get me wrong, they do deserve it. But the path that you wish to undertake only ends one of two ways, you either die try to get your vengeance or you do get your vengeance but lose yourself in the process."

"We've made up our minds," I replied.

"We or I?" Junkokuma asked with a giggle.

"…" I didn't respond.

"You're not wrong about these things. Junko Enoshima is mostly to blame for everything that has happened to this world. But she is just one of many guilty parties. If you want to revel in your hatred than don't just hate her, hate the others who are responsible as well. They are just guilty as she is. Never let your hatred go. Even when their blood has been spilt hold onto the hate. Let it boil and fester inside you until you at last have your revenge on all those who have ever done you wrong. I can't tell you how many people I hate, each one is as guilty as sin but has yet to receive their punishment. So in a way, I envy you. You get to do what I have only ever dreamed of. Destroy your enemies," Junkokuma explained.

Junko put down her Monokuma plushy. "Aww, you hate me that much Akira-kun? I think I'm blushing," said Junko. Then she laughed maniacally, pissing me off even more and more. Until finally…

Junkokuma smiled and pulled out a little remote. "Oh Junko-chan? ~" the robot clone called out to her. But Junko didn't respond, she just kept laughing and laughing. Then Junkokuma turned around to face her doppelganger and glared at her with a look of pure hatred. "Shut the hell up!" Junkokuma pressed the button and suddenly mechanical braces popped out of Monokuma's throne, restraining Junko's arms and legs, and even grasping ahold of her neck and strangling her in a chokehold. Junko gasped in surprise at the sudden vice grip on her throat, but struggle as she might she couldn't do anything about the intense pressure do to her arms and legs also being restrained. She breathed in heavily, in an effort to get even a fraction of air into her lungs but the force of the brace around her neck must've been too tight because she slowly started losing color in her face as she made animalistic-sounding pants.

We all looked on at the scene in horror. None of us moved an inch. The Mastermind turned on Junko? It was almost too impossible to believe and yet there it was happening right in front of us. Junko was gasping for breath and the Mastermind, in control of Junkokuma's body, simply smiled and waved the remoted at her. "Surprised? I don't see how you wouldn't be," Junkokuma said to Junko. "You see here's the thing. You're one of my enemies too Junko-chan. I've hated you for as long as I can remember. I hate you so much that every night your dead body is the last thing I think about before I go to sleep, and it's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. Don't get me wrong, it's not obsession. I don't want to kill you so I can be you or anything creepy like that. No, the reason why I hate you is because of what you turned me into."

"Do you think I wanted to be like this? No, I just wanted a normal happy life with my friends and family by my side, and I had that. I had a wonderful life, there were so many people who I loved and that I knew I could rely on no matter what. But then one day that was all taken away from me when Ultimate Despair brainwashed me and made me destroy that wonderful life I had created for myself. I killed my loved ones all because of you and your stupid sexual thrill regarding despair. You broke me, me and the few friends who were lucky enough to escape your wrath. But you ended up taking those remaining friends from too when you brainwashed them and turned them into Ultimate Despairs as well. Everything that I had, I lost it all because of you," Junkokuma said as she pointed at Junko. "I'm who I am now all because of you. But like I said you're not the only guilty one. You're just one of many people who I blame for what has been done to me."

Junkokuma shook her head in disgust. "Look at that perverted face you're making. You're suffocating and you're getting turned on? Let me guess, the despair of death is close at hand? And it's too great to pass up? You make me sick. If I wasn't as messed up as you I'd kill you right now just to end your suffering but no, that's not how this is going to play out. You're going to be executed not only for the murder of Hajime Hinata but your crimes against humanity as well. If there's any justice in this world, things will be different after you are dead. Because you see that's where we differ Junko. Unlike you, I'm not doing these horrible things for fun. The despair I shall create is all for the sake of my revenge."

'Revenge? So that's what they meant when they said all those things?' I asked myself. 'The point of this mutual killing game is all for revenge. But besides Junko who else do they want revenge against? The rest of Ultimate Despair? The people who are watching this at home and doing nothing?' I looked around at the others. 'Or could it be us? Did we all do something bad to the Mastermind?'

"So unfortunately this is where it ends Junko. It's a real pity, if only I could kill you with my bare hands, but I guess executing you by proxy is going to have to do." Junkokuma pressed the button on the remote control again and the braces in Monokuma's throne came undone. And Junko ended up collapsing onto the floor and falling in a pool of her own drool. Her skin was almost bright blue. She really couldn't breathe when she was being restrained. I felt a little bad for her for a second but then I saw her face. A perverted grin was glued on as she twitched over and over again. And then I noticed a small puddle appearing under her lower body. It definitely wasn't drool. The bitch was literally in ecstasy from almost being strangled to death! Just when I thought Junko couldn't get more perverse she kept surprising me. 'Disgusting!' I exclaimed in my mind as I balled up my fists in anger. Any thoughts of sympathy I had for her instantly disappeared.

"I hope this is too you're liking Junko because I'm going to enjoy every minute of this," said Junkokuma. She kicked Junko in her side for an added measure and then she turned back to face us. "Well then, I'm satisfied with your answers so what do you say we go on ahead with voting time?" she asked with a smile.

We all exchanged looks. And I could see that the others were horrified by what just took place as well. But still we had already formed our resolve on this front. We knew what had to be done. Junko Enoshima must die for us to live. In my book, it wasn't a big deal. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to lose sleep over ridding the world of a demon like her. But I saw a look of sadness and pity in some of the others eyes. I knew this would be hard for some of them. With little hesitation we all set the dials on our stands to the Junko Enoshima icon and then we pulled our levers all at once, getting an exuberant * _ding_ * in response.

Then Junkokuma placed the last portrait on the funeral altar and then said, "Now I think it's time to change." Junkokuma clapped her hands together two times and then the lights went out. And within a few moments Junkokuma had disappeared, leaving the real Junko still lying in a pool of her own filth on the floor.

"Ahh, that's much better." A familiar sounding voice rang out throughout the courtroom and that's when we saw that Monokuma had reappeared once again in his throne. "Playing as the others was fun and all but this is the body for me. Unless they're back by popular demand I don't think you're going to be seeing those fakes again anytime soon. Anyways, no more beating around the bush. Let's get on with it. The votes have been tallied and even though we're all sure who the killer is let's check and see just to make sure. Monokuma clapped his paws together and then more chains could be heard rattling throughout the courtroom. We looked up and saw that some was being pulled down from above on a large platform. When the platform finally lowered all the way down we saw that the object in question was a large slot machine. "Here we go, who's it going to be?" Monokuma pulled the slot machine's lever and let the icons spin. As the slot machine spun we saw that all the icons were pictures of all the suspects just like on the dials on the stands. After a few moments the three icons lined up with three pictures of Junko Enoshima. And then the slot machine's lights lit up and an endless amount of coins flew out of its dispenser as candid applause filled the background.

* * *

THE JURY IS OUT

* * *

ALL RISE FOR VERDICT AND SENTENCING

* * *

Monokuma laughed more than he had ever laughed before in his life. "That's right! You did it! Hajime Hinata's killer was indeed Junko Enoshima! You guys are awesome! You proved the impossible! You're the number one sleuths in my book!"

"Then why do I not feel like it's such a great accomplishment?" Sawa asked.

"So we were right, big wup, we're still stuck here no matter what, right?" Nate asked.

"That's not the point," said Yasuke. "We survived. We made it out of here with our lives intact. That should be the takeaway from this."

"Matsuda-kun's right, with this done we can live to fight another day," Micho said in an effort to encourage the others.

"Well it's not technically done yet," said Jonathan. "We still have to watch…that, right?" he asked as he scratched his head.

"The execution," Jose answered him.

"I told you guys at the beginning what the prize for winning a class trial was. Survival and being able to witness the execution of the killer. But like you guys are going to lose any sleep over her," said Monokuma. "After all she's done, whatever the bitch gets will be too good for her."

"You may be, but still she is a human being," said Beigoma. "Every life is supposed to be precious."

"Even the lives of sociopathic killers?" Monokuma replied. "Get real."

Mukuro sighed and then she nodded to herself. It appeared she had to talk herself into doing something. But when she was convinced, she stepped away from her seat and went off to her sister's side, presumably to say good-bye. I was amazed by her actions. How anyone could love someone like that was beyond me, even if that someone was your own flesh and blood sibling.

After a few minutes, Mukuro came running back to her seat. "You can continue. She's ready to die," she simply said to Monokuma.

"Very well then," Monokuma pulled out the same remote control Junkokuma had before and this time he pressed a new button, this time making the tapestries of Junko Enoshima and Hajime Hinata, which were positioned right next to each other, fall to the ground, revealing a large, hidden monitor behind them. "Please come right to the front row. You're going to want to get a good seat for the show." We did as Monokuma said and gathered around the monitor. Then we looked back to him. "Now without further ado…!" he exclaimed.

I looked to my left and I noticed that Mukuro was trembling. She was about to see her sister die so it was understandable why she was scared.

"The moment you've all been waiting for!" Monokuma exclaimed.

I sighed and without any hesitation I grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it as hard as I could. She gasped at the sudden contact and gave me a questioning look. "You're not in this alone. I'm here for you," I whispered to her.

"It's…!"

Mukuro gave me a small smile and then gripped my hand back as hard as she could. Which was actually pretty damn hard, but I didn't want to ruin the moment so I let her crush my hand. "Thank you," she whispered back to me.

"Punishment time!"

A large red button appeared out of the floor in front of Monokuma's throne. And the button rose up into the air on a little platform until it was at level with the little robot bear. Then Monokuma pulled a small gavel out of nowhere and slammed it down on the button, making a little * _clicking_ * sound in response. Then a small black screen on the platform began to light up and a little 8-bit game began to play. There was an 8-bit version of Junko who was lying on the ground unconscious. Then words began to appear over her head.

* * *

GAME OVER!

* * *

JUNKO ENOSHIMA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.

* * *

COMMENCING EXECUTION.

* * *

Then a little 8-bit Monokuma came out from the left side of the screen and dragged Junko away by her legs. Then the game ended and _it_ began. Suddenly the room began to shake again and then all the other tapestries lining the walls began to fall to the ground as well, revealing a large, ominous-looking steel door. And within a few moments of reveling itself the steel door opened and a large mechanical claw shot out of the hatch behind it. The claw flew towards Junko, who was stilly lying down on the floor and then latched onto her legs and dragged her back through the hatch it came out of as the steel door shut behind it.

Then the monitor suddenly came to life and we all turned our attention to it. The first thing it showed was a series of words that read:

* * *

THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT REDUX

* * *

Then the monitor showed a live feed of a gauntlet-like sports arena where Junko was restrained to a metal pole in the center. I think the area was supposed to be modeled like a batting cage due to the fact that there was a colossal cannon-like baseball pitching machine positioned in front of Junko and also due to the fact that another person was in the arena along with Junko. It was Leonkuma, dressed up in a baseball uniform. He wore a red helmet and had a bat gripped tightly in his hands. Another message showed up on the screen:

 _The 1,000 blows_

Suddenly the pitching machine started up and fired a series of baseballs, all of which were hit with Leonkuma's big windup swing, making them twice as fast and twice as powerful. The pitching machine * _buzzed_ * and * _whirred_ * as it moved all around the arena, pelting Junko with baseballs senselessly from every angle. But as each baseball hit Junko I couldn't help but notice that same perverted smile on her face. She was enjoying it.

Finally, after about half a minute the pitching machine stopped and Junko was released from her restraints only to be picked up once again by the mechanical claw and dragged off to another area. The other area being a stage that had a huge bear trap at the edge of it. Again Junko seemed delighted by her current circumstances. Then Sayakakuma appeared to Junko and gave her a microphone, and then she pointed to a meter on the edge of the stage and explained that if Junko sang and filled up the meter she would be spared. Another message flashed onto the monitor:

 _Junko Enoshima's Final Performance_

Junko began to sing and much ot our amazement she was actually pretty good. The song meter seemed to think so as well, as it was steadily rising and almost completely filled. But just as Junko was about to reach the highest score Sayakakuma appeared again and intentionally broke the meter, causing automatic failure which activated the bear trap. Junko was this close to being maimed before the mechanical claw swooped in and rescued her. And without hesitation the claw suddenly dropped her and she landed a large, gaudy-looking motorcycle. Junko was sitting in the back and Mondokuma was in the front revving up the engine repetitively. Then another message flashed on the monitor:

 _The Cage of Death_

Mondokuma put the pedal to the medal and rocketed the motorcycle off at full speed. He was about to enter what appeared to be a large spherical cage until suddenly Mondokuma ejected from his seat leaving Junko strapped to a runaway motorcycle. When she entered the cage the motorcycle increased its speed tremendously due to the gyration force of the cage, making Junko spin around and around and around. And to make matters worse a series of generators change the cage and make it electrified, frying up Junko as she spins endlessly inside the cage. This would have been the end for her if not for the mechanical claw stepping in and saving her once again. The claw knocked the cage off of the generators and let it roll to a stop before reaching inside and grabbing Junko, and then dragging her off to a new location.

And this time the claw dropped her in a large throne-like chair that was moving on top of a parade float. Thousands of Monokumas were standing around and waving at Junko as she passed them by on the float. Some were even holding up posters of her wearing the ridiculous crown of hers to show their support of her. Junko just smiled and waved without a care in the world. Then another message flashed on the monitor:

 _Queen of Despair Junko's Crowning Parade_

Then suddenly Kiyotakakuma appeared, dressed up as that hitman from that old manga series _Golgo 13_ , and fired a shot at Junko which just barely missed her before the mechanical claw came to her rescue one again. That didn't stop Kiyotakakuma though. He kept firing at Junko even as she was being whisked away out of his range.

After that the mechanical claw dropped Junko on top of a model building in a replica city. And then suddenly a gigantic Monokuma appears behind Junko, who just stares at the bear in awe and excitement, after that another gigantic creature appeared on the other side of the model building. This time it was a gigantic version of Hifumikuma, who roared at both the giant Monokuma and Junko. Then another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Watch out, Junko! Great Monster Invasion_

A giant monster battle ensued between Monokuma and Hifumikuma, in which the building took blow after blow, literally shaking the earth under Junko's feet. But that didn't stop her from cheering for Monokuma to win and beat that tubby otaku. But it appeared Monokuma and Hifumikuma were both evenly matched. So to settle the score they both fired out certain kill beam attacks at each other that consumed the building in the cross fire. And yet again, Junko was saved by the mechanical claw before any real damage could befall her. The claw then dropped her on top of a large pile of wood where Celestiakuma tied her up to a pole in the center without any hesitation. Thousands of Monokumas revealed themselves, and they were all wearing these ridiculous executioner hoods and carrying around lit torches. Celestiakuma was carrying a torch as well and showed it Junko. Then she grabbed hold of a fuse that was connected to the edge of the wood pile Junko was standing on and lit it with the torch. Another message played on the monitor:

 _A Versailles-Style Witch Burning_

Junko seemed almost giddy at the sight of the flame as came in contact with the wood pile and grew and grew. The bitch was literally being burned at the stake and yet she was in heaven. The fire surrounded her on all sides until it looked like she was literally being engulfed in flames. I could see sweating pouring down her face that made it almost seem like she was melting. And then a fire alarm rang out and Celestiakuma reappeared, driving a firetruck aimed at Junko. Celestiakuma dove over a ramp and was about to smash head on into Junko before the mechanical claw swooped and saved Junko from her demise yet again.

Then the claw dropped Junko into a very authentic looking patch of wilderness. Then I saw several alien-like creatures that were befitting of a cheesy sci-fi kids show appear all around Junko, and spearheading them was none other than Sakurakuma. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Deciding Match of the Whole Galaxy_

The odds were definitely against her but she looked happy. She didn't even attempt to fight back as all the aliens trampled her and crushed her with their combined weight. Finally, Sakurakuma joined the fray and even went so far as to do a body slam on Junko. The whole time her smile never faded. And then the mechanical claw once again came to her rescue and dragged her out from under the dogpile of aliens. Sakurakuma shook her fist at Junko as she was whisked away and called her a coward.

Then the mechanical claw dropped Junko into a water tank. From above Junko, Aoikuma, dressed as a magician, appears and waves around her magic wand. Another message flashed onto the monitor:

 _Water Illusion Show_

Aoikuma waved her wand again and made a curtain fall over the water tank. The she raised it up again with a drum roll. And suddenly many sharks appeared in the water tank, circling around Junko, who at that point looked ecstatic. Once again, Aoikuma waved her wand and made the curtain fall over the water tank. And with another drum roll Aoikuma tried to raise the curtain again but she got interrupted when the mechanical claw dove into the water tank and fished out Junko before she could be eaten by any sharks. The claw then ended up knocking Aoikuma into the water tank…and well the rest is history.

The claw dropped Junko onto the set of a quiz show next. Yasuhirokuma was there and was dressed up in a flashy gameshow host outfit. He showed Junko three doors in front of her labeled _A_ , _B_ , and _C_ and explained that there is a 1/3 probability of execution depending on which door Junko opens. Another message appeared onto the monitor:

 _Quiz Time! I Heard There's a Chance of 30%!_

Junko didn't even hesitate in going for a door and immediately tried to open the _A_ door. But before she could even touch the doorknob, the _A_ door suddenly grew hands and feet and escaped. After that Junko tries to open the _B_ door, only to have _B_ escape on her as well, leaving door _C_ as her only option. Obviously, this is the door that's going to execute her but again Junko didn't hesitate and went straight for door _C_. Then suddenly the door turned into a monster a tried to eat her, but once again Junko was saved in the nick of time by the mechanical claw.

After that the claw threw Junko into a completely dark area, with nothing around her at all. And then suddenly a knife appeared at her feet and Junko happily picked it up. And then carbon copies of all the students who died in the Killing School Life appeared around her. They were obviously fakes but that didn't stop Junko from gripping the knife hard in her hand and going to work. Another message on the monitor read:

 _First Kill Prank_

Junko skipped merrily along and began to slash away at her classmates, effectively tearing the carbon copies apart. Until the only person who was left was a carbon copy of Hajime Hinata. Junko then broke into a run and brought the knife back behind her to initiate an instant killing stroke but before she could get close enough to Hajime to slash him, a steam roller driven by Tokokuma popped up between her and Hajime. Junko then dropped the knife but didn't stop running towards the steam roller, and when she was close enough she stopped dead in her tracks and motioned for the steam roller to finish the job. She was about to be crushed when to her dismay the claw saved her yet again and just dragged her off somewhere else, while Junko struggled to get away in vain.

Then the claw dropped Junko into a garbage can which rolled down a hill and landed in a place that looked a lot like Hell. When Junko poked her head out of the garbage can you could tell she was dizzy but all the while she never stopped smiling that perverted smile of hers. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Human_ _Disqualification_

Then suddenly Byakuyakuma appeared and began to throw stones at Junko, all of which she let hit and bruise her. And each time a stone hit her Junko let out a perverted gasp in pleasure. Seeing that his tactics weren't working, Byakuyakuma got fed up and ended up throwing Junko into a snowy and cold place. Because was covered in bloody bruises from all of the stoning she got hypothermia really easy and began to shiver all over as she curled up into a little ball in the snow. She looked so at peace that it was maddening. But then the mechanical claw swooped in yet again and shook all the snow off of her before dragging her off to a new location.

Next the claw dropped Junko into a modified school desk which restrained her so she couldn't move. The desk was bolted down on a conveyor belt that was steadily moving closer towards a giant trash compressor behind Junko. And seated in a teacher's desk directly in front of her was Kyokokuma who was wearing a pair of fake glasses and held up a pointing stick towards a chalk board behind her. The topic on the board was sex ed. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _After School Lesson_

As she got closer and closer towards the trash compressor Junko's smile grew and grew. It looked like this was the end of her. She even held up a peace sign to signify that it's been real. But the mechanical claw just wasn't having it. As soon as Juno was a few mere centimeters away from being crushed the claw dragged her away to a new location. Junko did not look happy.

Next the claw through Junko into a large barrel where Makotokuma was there to immediately close the lid so Junko couldn't get out. Then Makotokuma pulled out a sword and showed it to the audience. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _A Very Unlucky Situation_

The camera feed then switched and showed Junko inside the barrel. Makotokuma thrust his sword into the exterior of the barrel, cutting and grazing Junko's face. Junko got a kick out of this and then even went so far as to lick her own blood off the sword. The camera feed switched to the outside again and Makotokuma started stabbing sword after sword into the barrel. But with each sword that entered the barrel, Junko's movements inside the barrel just grew and grew. And after sticking his last sword into the barrel Makotokuma opened the lid and peered inside, only to find Junko still alive. Junko punched him in his face and knocked him back, giving her the opportunity to escape from the barrel. She jumped out and revealed to us that while she had a few nasty wounds she was still greatly unharmed and most of the damage by the swords had been to her clothes. They weren't really suitable for covering Junko's body up anymore. And then the mechanical claw swooped in again and carried Junko to a new location.

The claw dropped Junko into a beach like area where she was immediately restrained to a large pole sticking out of the ocean. Then Teruterukuma flew onto the scene in a large military-grade helicopter, that had built in missiles, armed and ready to fire at Junko. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Deep Fried Junko_

Teruterukuma fired his two missiles at Junko and their contents were immediately revealed. The first missile that hit Junko covered her in eggs, and the second covered her in bread crumbs. Satisfied, Teruterukuma hitched Junko onto a chain connected to his helicopter and flew over to a large volcano, which I assumed had to be artificially made. Although the look of the magma inside the volcano was real enough. Teruterukuma then released Junko into the volcano where she about to fry and die. Until the mechanical claw swopped in and saved her again, taking the time to shake dry the eggs and breadcrumbs off of Junko before taking her to a new location.

Next the claw dropped Junko into an area that was modeled after some deserted ancient ruins. And sitting next to Junko was a camera and a mysterious photo album with her name on it. Junko, being ever the curious one, opened it despite the obvious warning signs. A new message appeared on the monitor:

 _Real Photo_

The first photo inside the album showed Junko at the same deserted ruins looking at the same photo album. And if that weren't creepy enough, as Junko flipped through the pages of the album the photos showed a flipbook of Mahirukuma sneaking up being Junko and strangling her to death, as the last photo showed Junko lying on the ground dead. Junko just giggles in ecstasy at the events set to occur. Then the camera next to Junko began to suddenly shoot photo after photo and as Junko picked it up to examine it Mahirukuma snuck up behind her and started choking the shit out of her. Junko gagged and began to immediately turn blue in the face from the intense pressure on her windpipe. And just as it appears she is finally about to die the mechanical claw steps in and swats Mahirukuma away and then drags Junkokuma off to a new location.

The next location was a large seamount overlooking a stormy ocean befitting of being in the painting _The Great Wave off Kanagawa_. Suddenly, Pekokuma appeared and forced a samurai sword into Junko's hands. Then hundreds of robotic wooden samurai suddenly appeared and encircled Junko. Pekokuma retreated at the edge of the seamount behind Junko and pulled out a straw marionette that bore Junko's face. Then Pekokuma moved the straw marionette around and Junko mimicked the movements of the marionette. Pekokuma had complete control over Junko. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _One Woman Army_

Pekokuma forces Junko to run around the seamount and swing her samurai sword at the attacking wooden samuraibots, slashing many of them to bits in the process. Though Junko was not in control of her actions she looked like she was having a lot of fun. The crazy bitch probably just thought of this as an amusement park ride. But soon more samuraibots appeared and surrounded Junko on all sides. One ends up slicing her hand, getting her to drop her samurai sword. Then the others join in and continuously stab at Junko. But before she can receive a fatal wound the mechanical claw comes to her rescue again. Junko made it out of the fray sustaining some serious wounds but nothing fatal.

Next, the claw dropped Junko onto yet another stage. Only this one had no special gimmicks like the previous one did. There was a stage curtain behind her and spot lights overlooking her. And there were large amplifiers and sound equipment all around her. Then Ibukikuma appeared and forced a purple and black color-schemed electric guitar into Junko's hands. And then Ibukikuma ran to another stage that was directly across from Junko and picked up her cherry red electric guitar. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Battle of the Bands. Rock n' Roll Queen of Despair!_

This challenge seemed right up Junko's alley as she didn't waste any time before plugging her electric guitar into an amp and strumming out the chords to some emo-esque song. Then Ibukikuma plugged into her amp and started playing the chords to an even darker heavy metal-sounding song, which drowned out Junko's song. Determined not to lose Junko turned up the volume on all the amplifiers and strummed her strings with a newfound passion. And then the loud music began to morph and corporatize into an actual shape. Junko's song took on the form of Monokuma. After which Ibukikuma played even louder and her music began to morph too, taking on the former of an even larger, monstrous version of Ibukikuma.

Then Monokuma and the monster Ibukikuma began to have a smack down, in which neither side would give an inch. Things were evenly matched for a while before Ibukikuma let loose an ear-splitting chord that caused Junko to stop playing and cover up her ears for protection. This daze was just what the monster Ibukikuma needed to launch the counter assault on Monokuma. The monster Ibukikuma pushed Monokuma back into Junko's stage, knocking her and her equipment backwards and nearly burying her under rubble. She would've died if not for the quick intervention of the mechanical claw, which swooped in at the last moment to save her.

Then the claw dropped Junko onto a set that was modeled after a traditional Japanese Shinto shrine, wherein appeared Hiyokokuma dressed in her usual kimono and holding two elegant fans in both of her hands. Then several Monokumas appeared next to Hiyokokuma, carrying varying flutes, drums, tambourines, and other instruments. Hiyokokuma pointed one of her fans at Junko in a threatening way. Then another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Dance of Death. Noh Mai, it's Time for Junko's destruction!_

The Monokumas began playing beautiful, soothing music and Hiyokokuma began to dance accordingly to the song. But soon the tempo of the song sped up and so did Hiyokokuma's dance moves, and that was when all hell broke loose. Hiyokokuma made a motion that something was falling down from the heavens and then objects started falling out of the sky one after another on Junko. First they were simple things like, leaves and acorns, but soon it turned to dangerous and cartoonish things which Junko narrowly dodged before they hit her, like safes and anvils. Then Hiyokokuma made a motion that made it hard for her to stay balanced, and then a large earthquake struck the shrine and literally split the earth in half. And finally Hiyokokuma made a big showy gesture like she was welcoming a deity of some sort, and the most unbelievable thing happened. A very authentic looking rip-off of Godzilla appeared and breathed fire in the sky threateningly. Godzilla tried to crush Junko with his claws but before he could get her the mechanical claw swooped in and saved her again. That didn't stop Godzilla from trying to chomp her before she left though.

Junko was then dropped off on a giant leg. And when she looked behind her she saw that the leg was part of a giant Junko who was lying on a gigantic operating table. Then Mikankuma showed up, carrying a large syringe carrying a mysterious substance. Mikankuma held up the syringe in a threatening manner and then ran towards Junko at break neck speed. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Bye-Bye, Ouchies_

But instead of stabbing Junko with the syringe she stabbed the leg of Junko's gigantic double. And then an unbelievable and ridiculous thing happened. The giant Junko's leg started to shake and billow smoke until it separated from the rest of the body and blast off into the sky like a rocket. Junko cheered and let her arms catch the wind to simulate flying. The leg was an actual rocket and the syringe carried the fuel, this had to be the most ridiculous way to die yet. So in the end, Junko was rocketed off into the sky and up into the sun where she would've burnt to a crisp…if not for the interference of the mechanical claw that is. Every time Junko was about to die like she wanted, the mechanical claw came and ruined her fun.

The next area Junko was dragged off to looked like something out of an old-school horror movie. The picture was in black and white and the setting was a dark and stormy night. Junko was dropped in front of Nekomarukuma who was dressed up like the mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein and a Monokuma who was dressed up as Igor. They brought Junko to their mad laboratory and showed her a robot modeled after Nekomarukuma, named Mechamaru according to the blueprints they made and revealed that they would need a guinea pig to help them power up their creation. And Junko was that test subject. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _It's Alive! It's Alive! …oh and She's Dead_

Nekomarukuma and Monokuma attached Junko to a metal pipe on the roof of their laboratory and had her act as the conduit for their conductor to power up Mechamaru. As such Junko had several jumper cables attached from to her body and connected to Mechamaru. As the storm raged on outside, Junko was struck by several bolts of lightning, all of which just made her look fulfilled when they electrocuted her. And the alternating current passed through Junko and went to Mechamaru. Soon he powered on and came to life almost like Frankenstein's monster, and Nekomarukuma and Monokuma completely forgot about Junko when their creation was given life. Meanwhile, Junko was still on the roof twitching from the electricity bursting throughout her body. Her hands and feet were charred black from the burns, and her hair looked like it had been through hell and back, but judging by the smile on her face it almost looked like she had been given a hell of a sexual release. She sickened me to no end. Then finally the mechanical claw came and dragged Junko off to a new location.

The next setting was a dessert set straight out of an old Western movie. Junko looked out beyond her and saw something approaching her just over the horizon. It was a stampede of Monokuma-like animals led by Gundhamkuma who was luring the animals with a carrot strung up on a stick and then beating them with a riding crop to get them to increase their speed. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Junko Enoshima Stampede_

Junko looked ecstatic to die as always. She waved at Gundhamkuma and shouted for him to hurry up and that she didn't have all day. At this taunt Gundhamkuma had his stampede of animals increase their speed as they barreled towards Junko. The bull that Gundhamkuma was riding readied to impale Junko with his horns. But it still wasn't fast enough for Junko, so she ended up running towards the stampede to meet them half way. Then she laid down on the ground and let nature run its course, but the mechanical claw put a stop to that. It saved her but not before letting a single animal trample her and break a few of her ribs.

Next, Junko was dropped into a dark place yet again. She tried to go forward but found that an invisible barrier was blocking her way. The camera feed zoomed out and showed that Junko was trapped beneath the screen of an arcade machine. Then the game started up and a new message appeared on the monitor:

 _Please Insert Coin_

A crane appeared at the top of the game screen, and operating that crane was none other than Chiakikuma. One by one, Chiakikuma dropped multicolored blocks onto the game screen, revealing that this arcade game was modeled after _Tetris_. Junko went from side to side in an effort to get crushed by one of Chiakikuma's falling blocks, but when she moved to one side Chiakikuma moved to the other. It went back and forth like that until Junko was boxed in on both sides. She smiled at the realization that Chiakikuma would have no choice but to drop a block on her now, but instead the inconceivable happened. When Chiakikuma went to place a block in Junko's open space, her finger slipped and she ended up placing it on an already full row, making her lose the game. Junko was really lucky, or unlucky if you take into account her warped up view of things. And it looked like that was the case because she started shouting and throwing a tantrum like a little kid. Then the mechanical claw came and whisked her away to a new location.

The next set that Junko got dropped into appeared to be something out of a gang war movie. Fuyuhikokuma and several Monokuma's dressed up in Yakuza garb cornered her and aimed their semi-automatic machine guns at her. Junko appeared to be doomed, and she couldn't be happier. A new message appeared on the monitor:

 _Best Battle_

But then the impossible happens, Mukuro appears on the scene to save her sister. I still felt her hand crushing mine but just to be sure I looked to my left and saw that she was still with us. Then I looked back at the monitor and stared in awe at the figure resembling Mukuro. The other Mukuro revealed that she too had a lot of weapons, as one would expect of the Ultimate Soldier. Mukuro pulled out two pistols and shot at Fuyuhikokuma and the Yakuza Monokumas as they were preoccupied at Junko. The other Mukuro got off three shots and nailed three Monokumas before they even knew what hit them, and when Fuyuhikokuma turned around to retaliate, the other Mukuro caught him off guard by throwing a dagger at his head, hitting him extreme precision and killing him instantly. Then she finished off the remaining Monokumas with Fuyuhikokuma's machine gun and successfully saved her sister. The other Mukuro stepped into the light and revealed that she was simply a Monokuma dressed up like Mukuro.

Junko however, did not find this hilarious, nor did she feel grateful to the Mukuro Monokuma for saving her. She was in fact pissed that she missed out on dying yet again, and went so far as to strangle the Mukuro Monokuma, who in retaliation pulled out a pistol and shot Junko in her left shoulder, getting her to let him go. And at the same time make her look of ecstasy return. Then the mechanical claw showed up and whisked Junko away yet again.

The mechanical claw then forced Junko into a drilling machine, and the door is closed behind her by Kazuichikuma who gives a final wave before sending her on her way. The drilling machine then started up and it began to drill into the ground bellow at high speed. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Underground Travels_

Junko once again screamed in delight as if she was on a carnival ride. And as the machine drilled deeper into the earth's crust we could all see that it was slowly approaching the outer mantel to the Earth's core which would no doubt end up destroying the drilling machine and her in a fiery blast of earth and metal. But unfortunately that was the case. The mechanical claw followed the drilling machine all the way down into its tunnel and forced its direction upward using all it's strength. So the drilling machine began to dig up towards the surface. And when it finally reached above ground, Junko was forced of the drill by the claw and was taken a new location.

The next set looked similar to a puppet stage and it was soon found out why. A giant version of Soniakuma appeared and attached strings to Junko's arms and legs, making her into a full-on marionette. Soniakuma then dressed up Junko into an outfit befitting of the evil queen in Snow White. And then shows Junko a miniature Soniakuma puppet dressed up like Snow White. Then another message appears on the monitor:

 _Princess Sonia Gets Her Revenge_

Soniakuma gives the Soniakuma puppet a poison apple and then forces it down Junko's throat. Junko doesn't even put up a fight and swallows the apple whole-heartedly. The effects of the apple's poison will kill in mere moments but that's too quick for Soniakuma, no she wanted to make Junko suffer. So instead of letting Junko digest her poison she used her mini-her puppet to punch Junko over and over again in her stomach until she ralphed up all the poison. And when Junko successfully relieved herself of the poison apple, Soniakuma three Junko down to the floor and let her drown in a pool of her filth, but not before taking Junko's miniature crown and giving it to the puppet Soniakuma. The mechanical claw then picked the non-responsive Junko up off the floor and carried her off to her next punishment.

At that point Junko wasn't her usual cheery pro-punishment self. It looked like even the Ultimate Despair herself had had enough despair for one day. But it was far from over. And the next one was really brutal. The claw pushed Junko in front of a sketchy restaurant with a poster in the window that read:

 _Akanekuma's all you can eat buffet._

 _Don't be shy, come on in and fill your hunger._

Another message appeared on the Monitor:

 _Why it Pays Not to be a Glutton_

Junko hesitated this time before opening the door and going inside the restaurant. It looked like this was actually starting to get to her. The look on her face wasn't a look of pleasure anymore, it almost looked like fear. Then after Junko went into the restaurant, Akanekuma came out from behind a nearby alley and using a black marker made some alterations to the poster. It then read:

 _Akanekuma's all you can rape buffet._

 _Don't be shy, come on in and fill your sexual hunger._

 _The bitch is begging for it._

Then Akanekuma giggled at her work and ducked behind the alley again, as several sketchy-looking men wearing Monokuma masks walked inside the restaurant. And then after about half a minute we heard several bloody screams. And then another message appeared on the monitor:

 _The rest of this punishment has been edited for content and in no way condones the actions of rape and or sexual assault. The Mastermind just thought that considering Akane Owari's character as a glutton and an airhead who's not above offering favors of a sexual nature that if an execution was ever written for her it would be something along these lines, albeit more comical and more clean._

 _But there's nothing funny about this. Rape is never funny. As a matter of fact, the Mastermind and creator of this game find people who do these things to be lower than Nagito, therefore even lower than trash. If you or a loved one is ever sexually abused, you should always go to the authorities and seek crisis counseling. Speak out against injustice, enough is enough._

That message stayed on for at least ten minutes before the camera feed returned and Junko walked out of the restaurant. She looked like death. Her eyes were wide as headlights, and her clothes and hair were messy and unkempt, and she was shaking like a leaf. She was also covered from head to toe in blood. She must have killed the men who came in there, but after that I couldn't blame her. That was taking things way too far. Akanekuma appeared from out behind the alley again and laughed at Junko's despair. The Mastermind had done it; they had actually gotten Junko Enoshima to experience despair like a normal person. But after that Junk screamed and attacked Akanekuma smashing her head into the brick wall of the alley over and over and over and over again until Akanekuma wasn't moving anymore.

Junko panted heavily and collapsed to the ground. And then I saw the strangest thing. She began to cry. Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair, the bitch who vowed to make the world as disgusting and pervert and crazy as her, was crying. But it wasn't over there. The mechanical claw appeared and then dragged Junko off to a new location. This time she didn't try to fight it.

The next place Junko was dragged to, appeared to be a small, rectangular, white space. Junko tried to move but she couldn't she was trapped in this white space. The camera feed zoomed out and showed that Junko was in fact printed on a lottery ticket. Then a gigantic version of Hajimekuma appeared and picked up the ticket and a coin and started to scrape the paper of the lottery ticket. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _Scratch de Enoshima_

Junko was in the third box, which means that she had a few moments left before Hajimekuma got to her. she tried to punt on a brave face but after the last couple of punishments had taken such a toll on her I think she ready to call it quits. She had wanted to die during almost all the punishments so far but now, she looked scared, she looked like she wanted to live. This was normal, average, everyday fear. It turned out the evil bitch was human after all. Then finally Hajimekuma got to Junko's square and began scratching her out from top to bottom. He got a little bit of her hair scratched out before the mechanical claw came to Junko's rescue again. And after Junko was safe she began to pant heavily again. Meanwhile, Hajimekuma scratched out Junko's now empty square completely and revealed the words _Try Again_. "Damn it!" Hajimekuma cursed. "Why did I have to buy that stupid button?! Why couldn't I have just seen the damn movie?! I had to watch it later anyway!" he shouted to himself.

Finally, the mechanical claw dragged Junko to an old cemetery and then dropped her into a freshly dug grave. Junko landed in a red velvet encased coffin that was already inside the hole. She looked up above her with a sense of terror in her eyes. And that's when she heard the sounds of heavy machinery. Another message appeared on the monitor:

 _How to Permanently Preserve a Queen of Despair_

Then Junkokuma revealed herself to be hiding in the front of the coffin and popped out right in front of Junko, startling her. Junkokuma had a lot of surgical gauze and restraints with her and took her time making sure Junko wouldn't squirm while she got to work. Then she placed some duct tape over her mouth for good measure. Junko could do nothing but mumble as Junkokuma wrapped her up in surgical gauze until she looked like a mummy then Junkokuma whistled and a harness was lowered into the pit by a crane. Junkokuma got into the harness and the crane brought her up to the surface, all the while Junko was screaming and shouting at her beneath the tape on her mouth. Then when Junkokuma was out of the pit she clapped her hands and the coffin Junko was in suddenly shut closed. And with Junko's hands and legs restrained and bound she could do nothing but listen to the sound of her being buried alive. First, a mixer poured fresh concrete on top of the coffin and waited for it to hard, encasing the entire coffin in a cement block. Then, an earth excavator picked up a pile of dirt and dropped it on top of the concrete, filling up the pit completely. When that was done the mixer came back and pour another slab of concrete on top of the pit and Monokumas came and slated it down with marble.

Finally, Junkokuma came out again and placed a tombstone behind Junko's grave. It had a carved picture of her holding Monokuma on it and it read:

 _Here lies Junko Enoshima_

 _Born on December 24, 1997 – Died on October 23, 2022_

 _She will be known throughout history as the high school girl who fucked up the world. Though her loss is great to her cause it can symbolize more than just a new beginning, it can symbolize a new way of life. We don't need her to be our leader or our goddess. The truth is she's just a psychotic bitch who got her rocks of to despair. What we need isn't a freak like that, what we need is a leader who can promise the world an actual future. A future that will be decided in the end by the twenty youths Junko tried so desperately to make fall into despair. This shall be her only legacy. – the Mastermind_

 _P.S. – I win._

The camera feed flickered like an old movie and then it cut out altogether. The monitor turned off and silence filled the room. It was over, it was finally over. She was gone. Gone, dead, and buried. Hajime and the others had been avenged, their tales were over now. But our story was just beginning. Little did I know, the actions that we had taken that day when we decided on this path. I thought with this we had all became closer. and learned to trust each other more. But the horrible truth was that this event was really drove us apart in the first place.

It didn't matter if we learned to trust each other. As soon as arrived here, our fates were already sealed. Unfortunately, we wouldn't end up like the others, sacrificing themselves for each other. No, ours would be a story of pure betrayal and murder. The truth was that any kind of friendship we had was meaningless in the face of a game like this.

I noticed Mukuro was crying so I whispered to her, "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

She pulled me closer to her and then hugged me and cried into my shirt. And I stroked her hair and rubbed her back in an effort to get her to calm down. I looked to my right and I saw Nodaka eyeing me and Mukuro. She gave me the sternest look I had ever seen. I saw her clench her fist so tightly that her knuckles turned white. But I didn't pay her any mind, I just turned my attention back to Mukuro. She was the one who needed me right now.

In just a few days' time I would learn this horrible truth first hand. And I would regret not doing something sooner to prevent it for the rest of my life.

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

A/N: And that's all folks. Again, sorry in advance for any dark details. I thought it would be fitting for a despairful finale such as this. Anyway, like I said before the next two chapters are relatively short so I should have them up within the next two days or so. But bear with me because after all the effort I put into writing this I'm kind of tired. Till next time Maestro Infinite bids, you farewell.


	21. Chapter 1, Part 5

A/N: I know I said I would double post this but I just had to get this chapter up today, it's so dramatic. You'll see what I mean.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 5: A bond that reaches farther than the stars**

* * *

I almost couldn't believe it. It was finally over. Hajime Hinata's murder had been solved and the killer had been caught and punished for their crimes. All of our hard work had paid off and our prize for winning the class trial was that we got to live another day. But this was only the beginning. We all already knew what came next, now it was our turn to play the deadly mutual killing game that had claimed so many other victims before us. The Killing Despairadise, apparently planned to be THE mutual killing game. The game to end all games. Even if the Ultimate Despair herself was dead now, another person just took her place and resumed things like normal. Only the new Mastermind said their self that this was in no way a normal game. While Junko Enoshima's mutual killing games were used to bring the viewers at home into despair this mutual killing game just used that as a means to an end to accomplish the new Mastermind's goal. Revenge. The new Mastermind apparently had a strong grudge against Junko for causing them to become like her in the first place using her brainwashing, but as they said it didn't end there. Junko Enoshima was just one of many people who were on the new Mastermind's list of guilty parties. The Killing Despairadise, I could only assume, was how the new Mastermind planned to punish the other people on their list. The only questions were, what had been done to the new Mastermind besides turning them into an Ultimate Despair? Who else did the new Mastermind deem responsible? And finally and most importantly, how did the twenty of us figure into all of this?

We were all still so scared and confused. How could we not be? After all, just a few short hours ago we thought we were just normal kids, with slightly obscure personalities and talents, well save for me of course. I wouldn't have gotten even half this far if it weren't for those amazing people. There was Micho Auruka, the Ultimate Defense Attorney. A really sweet, smart, and courageous girl who vowed to one day clean up the criminal justice system and make sure that no one was denied proper justice. Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist. A brilliant all be it slightly rude and irritable boy who was one of the premier experts in the study of the brain. He apparently found out a way to erase a person's memories before being taken like the rest of us, and Ultimate Despair ended up stealing his notes and using his research for their nefarious purposes. I can only imagine how much he blames himself for what has happened because of it.

Then there was Beigoma Kiyoshi, the Ultimate Quote Keeper. An innocent down to Earth girl who was considered a genius in her own right due to her eidetic memory when it came to remembering everything she's ever read, written, or seen. For some reason she had really taken to me and declared me to be her older brother, but now after everything we've been through together I was actually starting to think of her as my little sister. Then there was Jonathan Junmaru, the Ultimate Procrastinator. He was a complicated individual to say the least. He was obsessive, rude, snarky, and very sarcastic. But he was still a nice guy if you got to know him, and his talent actually came in handy when it came to noticing miniscule and nitpicky details. And then there was Soshun Murasame, the Ultimate Student Council President. Apparently, he was some sort of top secret student who was in charge of making decisions on behalf of the student body of Hope's Peak Academy…back when the school was still operational of course. Now usually you would know who's on the student council but according to Soshun the members of the student council was kept top secret for some reason unknown to him, but then again Soshun didn't even understand why he got chosen to come to Hope's Peak Academy in the first place. His alter ego on the other hand knew a lot more. The Ultimate Deva Aka Deva, Soshun's inner self was apparently the real brains behind the Ultimate Student Council President and according to him Soshun didn't know certain things concerning his talent because Soshun was unaware of Deva's existence. The two of them were definitely an odd pair, but they had proven themselves to be very reliable when complications arose. Heck, if it wasn't for Deva the rest of us might not even be here right now.

Next, there was Azami Jagaimo, the Ultimate Oculist. Azami was a very peculiar girl to say the least, her talent apparently involves eyes both as a doctor and as a hypnotist. Not that I believed in hypnotism or anything, a friend tried to hypnotize me once in middle school and I faked it just to mess with him, but the funny thing was he actually believed it. That guy ended up trying to hypnotize a girl into doing perverted things, and he got his ass kicked. A cautionary tale to those who wonder about messing with those kinds of things. But anyway, Azami had a very strange air about her, who knows if I get on her bad side she might actually hypnotize me, and considering her character it would probably work. But other than that she's a nice all be it odd girl, and I know that she would look out for the rest of us. Then there was Keiko Akasaka, the Ultimate Croupier. Apparently she used to be a card dealer back in the city of Las Vegas in America, and there she learned the fine arts of poker, black jack and other games of chance. She can be very arrogant when it comes to her dream of being the world's best card player, and actually very arrogant when it comes to most things. But she's someone you can count on because she always tries to get to the heart of the matter and won't stop until she finds out the truth.

Then there was Connie Takemi, the Ultimate Horologist. She came from a long line of prestigious clock craftsmen and watch makers, the Takemi Time Keepers. She was a foreign exchange student who transferred here from France to help rebuild her family's great legacy, I know she might not make a whole lot of sense at times but she was dedicated and hardworking to a fault and that was enough. Although I would like to know what was her obsession with _Alice in Wonderland_ though? I get her being the Mad Hatter because like Jonathan said she's a steam punk, and Azami is definitely the Cheshire Cat, and all her other nicknames seem spot on as well, but why am I Alice? I'd really like to know the answer to that question. Another person who didn't make a lot of sense was Jose Historia, the Ultimate Historian. As a boy who loves history he feels it's his job to record history as he sees it so we can preserve it for future generations, and that's why he's always seen writing in a journal. He's recording history as he sees it. In addition to that, he loves books, and especially mystery novels; you can tell since he's always dressed up like Sherlock Holmes. But what I didn't get was the fact that he seemed to have a split personality, there was kind and shy Jose who stuttered sometimes when talked to others, and then there was take charge Jose who could be a real pain in the ass when push came to shove. I don't know, maybe he just got that way when he was trying to solve a mystery. Still he's very bright, and a good person to have around to solve problems.

Then of course there was Jose's classmate, Cam Yano, the Ultimate AV Technician. Cam was a self-declared genius basically. He was very humble most of the time, except when it came to anything electronic or tech related then he wouldn't shut up out about his greatness. But it's not like he was lying or anything, he was really good with that kind of stuff. Heck, if it wasn't for him we would've never gotten Mahiru Koizumi's camera to work again. Still, there's something about him I can't quite put my finger on, and that name, Yano, it all seemed very familiar but I couldn't place it. Anyways, Cam was apparently in love with one of my other friends, Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. I don't know if Cam's being honest or not, but he seems authentic in the way he acts around her. But Chihiro can't really handle that kind of stuff considering she's so shy. I could understand why Cam liked her so much, not only is Chihiro in the same field of study he is but she's also extremely smart, funny, and majorly cute! She is seriously one of the cutest girls in existence. I know she's a friend, and more importantly one of my other friends already likes her but seriously, that girl had to have a bunch of fan clubs back at her old school.

Ahem, sorry about that, back to the introductions. Next came Aya Kisaragi, the Ultimate Marine Biologist, who was the complete opposite of Chihiro. Saying that Aya was over energetic would be the understatement of the year. Not only was she one of those short, plucky, can-do spirit girls but I think she might've had a bad coffee addiction or even a severe case of ADD. Not that I was complaining or anything, we all found her antics amusing at times, except for Yasuke that is. But she's got a really cheerful attitude and in a game like this that's a great thing to have, I actually hope she could spare a little cheer for the rest of us. But my one pet peeve about Aya is that once you get her started she never stops talking! And after her was another reserved person, Shiro Shirobane Aka Yocchan, the Ultimate Set Designer. He was part of the Hope's Peak Academy theater club back in the day, and was in charge of creating every set for each play that the drama club produced. And according to Nagito, his artistic vision was amazing, each set he created made each play seem highly realistic. As a matter of fact, his work was apparently so good that it drove away attention from the actors during each performance. One thing that's odd about him though is that…well I can't seem to figure him out. Besides his kind nature and his tendency to use the "-chan" honorific with everyone he was a bit of a mystery to me. I couldn't help but wonder if there was another side to him besides the marshmallow persona as Nodaka liked to call it.

Speaking of which, Nodaka Hoshi, the Ultimate Maid was a very troublesome person to say the least. Not only was se very self-absorbed and downright rude, she had a nasty temper, was prone to violence when provoked, and always seemed to let her aggression out on me. Up until about an hour ago she kept calling me cockroach boy, but now she suddenly just started calling me Akira. And now I always feel her eyes on me, but when I turn to look she turns away. She's said some strange things, asking me if I can remember certain names and events, even when I keep telling her that I can't remember anything about my life before I came here. I can't help but wonder, does she know me? Maybe even possibly know who I really am? But every time I asked myself that another question would pop into my head. Can I trust her? Because some evidence has come to light that she might not be who she really says she is. But I can't obsess over that forever. Moving onto Sawa Nanase, the Ultimate Triathlete. Though she may not look like much in the athletic department she apparently has speed and endurance that rival that of even Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro and Sawa's senpai. I can tell she's smart and that she really cares about people through her actions. I can also say because of her tendency to walk around barefoot all the time that she's a very outdoorsy girl. But like Shiro, I can't help but feel that there's another side to her. I've noticed that every time she smiles there's this look of sadness in her eyes. I wonder what happened to her, I'd like to help her deal with it if I could.

Anyway, then there's Nate Baron, the Ultimate Assassin. Now I know what it sounds like but before you ask? No, he's not an actual assassin. Is he trained as one? Yes. Does he use knives and weapons? Again, yes he's told us as much. Can he do cool moves like scaling walls and keep his balance at high altitudes? He's said he can but I haven't seen it with my own eyes so I couldn't say. But despite all those assassin like qualities there's one thing that separates him from the assassins you hear about in manga and games. Namely, that he hasn't killed anyone yet. You see, despite his talent Nate believes that killing is wrong and goes out of his way not to use his talent for nefarious purposes. And he's made a solemn vow to himself that he will never use his assassin skills to kill. It's kind of ridiculous to hear about an assassin who refuses to kill but hey that's Nate. He's a real cool guy, and he'll always have your back when you're in a tight spot. Next, there's Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student. Nagito is one of many students who got picked to come to Hope's Peak Academy because their name was drawn from a lottery, and Nagito thinks of himself as worthless compared to the others because he doesn't have a true talent like they do. However, Nagito's luck is real as he insists, I haven't seen it in action but according to Nagito his whole life has been an endless cycle of good and bad luck since the day he was born. And if that's the case then in my book his luck is an actual talent, even if he doesn't see it that way. He's also one of the few students that I know who allied themselves with Ultimate Despair, but despite being brainwashed Nagito claimed that he joined with Junko even before that in the hopes to see hope conquer the despair she would create. Along with being an off guy he's sort of like a male Junko, but I don't think he as psychotic as her…yet. Hopefully, I can find some way to convince him to change his idea of hope.

Then there was Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier. In addition to being the so-called Child Prodigy of Modern Warfare she was also one of the few known ex-members of the elite and reclusive mercenary group, the Fenrir Mercenary Corps. Mukuro was also Junko's twin sister, fraternal of course. She was also originally one of the ring leaders of Ultimate Despair along with her sister, and together they were known throughout the world as the Despair Sisters. But since then Mukuro has changed a lot, she used to say that she was just a soldier programmed to follow orders and even if she didn't believe in some things she couldn't defy those orders given to her. Some may call her the perfect soldier, but when she said that it was almost like she thought of herself as a robot. Loyal to whoever gives a command. But that's not what I think of Mukuro. The Mukuro Ikusaba who was a cold-blooded killer, who was a ringleader of Ultimate Despair, that's the Mukuro Ikusaba I know. The Mukuro I know is simply a shy, sad-looking, cute freckled girl who wants to make up for all her past sins. And that's why she's helping us fight to stop Ultimate Despair and end the mutual killing games once and for all. And I believe in her, she's a strong ally after all, and I thought that she most of all needed a friend.

Lastly, there was Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope. As Izuru described himself, he's the product of an illegal scientific study conducted by the scientists that ran Hope's Peak Academy called the Hope Cultivation Project which was more accurately named the Izuru Kamukura Project. The scientists wanted to prove that the key to unlocking a person's talent lied in dormant parts of their brain, and using the years of research that they gathered with the Ultimate students they believed that they had finally found a way to give talent to a talentless person by artificially activating the dormant parts of the brain in a normal person and in turn giving them artificial talent. But the human experiment they needed to conduct was considered by definition a crime against humanity so they opted to do it secretly off the books, and chose a guinea pig that they thought no one would miss or even bother to look for if he suddenly disappeared. Izuru, before he became Izuru, was once from the Reserve Department like me, and Hope's Peak Academy tricked him into coming to them so they could experiment on him. They hijacked his brain, erased his memory, and buried his old personality deep within his subconscious so they could rewrite him from scratch. And the final result of these horrible acts was Izuru, who proved to be a failure because his creators found him to be even smarter than they were, due to his odd ability to read human behavior and patterns and predict the outcome of things. The only reason the poor guy's stayed alive this time is because he blackmailed the scientists into not killing him off by saying he would expose them for the monster they truly were, and then by being protected by Junko and Ultimate Despair when Hope's Peak Academy lost all of its power seven years ago. He might seem off sometimes due to the fact that he considers a lot of things boring but he's a nice enough guy if you have a ton of patience. Like Nagito and Mukuro, I also want to help him change.

And me, well you guys already know me. I'm just Akira Maita, your normal, average, everyday high school student. And one day out of the blue I was just given the title of Ultimate Wannabe and wound up in this nightmare. But after all that we had been through that day I figure that as long as the twenty of us stuck together we would be alright.

Little did I know at that time that someone in our group was already planning to betray us. And their betrayal would forever change the way we looked at each other. It was only a matter of time before one of us would be killed by a friend.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: LOVE HURTS**

 **Peaceful Life**

* * *

For the next few minutes' no one said anything. We just stood there in silence, thinking about what Monokuma had told us not ten minutes ago, right after Junko's execution.

Flashback:

" _Wow that was awesome!" Monokuma cheered. "I bet you all the folks at home got a real treat out of that super fun, super despairful punishment! I can just see their perverted looks now! I guarantee at least half of them were jerking it!"_

 _We on the other hand weren't so happy about seeing that. I glanced around at the others faces', each and every last one of them were shocked and appalled. Even the ones who were used to everything despairful, Izuru and Nagito. It was too much even for them to handle. And Mukuro, God poor Mukuro. Having to see such horrible things happen to her own flesh and blood sister right before her eyes. She was still crying into my shirt, trying her best to be strong and muffle her tears. I pulled her closer to me and let her cry her eyes out._

" _Sheesh, is she gonna be alright? It's gonna be bad for ratings if the favorite to win gives into despair now," said Monokuma. Then he cocked his head to the side. "Hey Akira-kun, you're not trying to cop a feel are you? If you are then I give you have my respect, if not then I have nothing but shame for you."_

" _Would you just shut up for five fucking minutes and give her a moment?" I replied as I glared at Monokuma._

 _Monokuma chuckled. "Ooh, Akira-kun is so scary," he said in a mocking tone. "Fine I'll just ignore her. I've got you and eighteen other young pupils to mess with."_

" _Just be quiet already dude," Nate replied. He looked distraught. "We're all a little screwed up after watching that."_

" _So cruel," said Beigoma. "I know she was a horrible person, I know that she killed many people without remorse and was responsible for everything's that happened to us but still, no one should have to go through that."_

" _I didn't think it was going to be like that," said Jonathan as he shook his head in disbelief. "I thought it was going to be really quick like the electric chair or something. But that, that was too much."_

" _Even she deserved better than that," said Micho._

" _What are you guys going on about?" Monokuma asked. "Did you not see any of that? Each time she tried to be killed! She was a psycho who got off on the thought of dying!"_

" _Not in the end, definitely not in the end," said Sawa._

" _She looked really scared," Yasuke added._

" _And she was definitely crying. The Ultimate Despair was crying," said Shiro. "Hell must be freezing over."_

" _Geez, you guys are such downers. What happened to being happy that you're alive? You win, remember? You get to leave now," Monokuma replied._

" _Yeah it's all over, but what now?" Aya asked._

" _Now you guys get to play the Killing Despairadise. Have you already forgotten?" Monokuma asked._

" _Oh right, this was just a test, wasn't it?" Jose asked._

" _Geez just being in the same room with you people is bring me down in the dumps. I'm gonna go ahead, when you feel like joining me I'd suggest looking at the altar. Just do me a favor when you come outside, and don't look like this. I know I said I want to drag you into the depths of despair but this isn't any fun at all. Sayonara, bitches." And then Monokuma suddenly disappeared._

Mukuro had stopped crying now. She was just sitting down on the floor and leaning up against the wall. She looked completely broken. Despite everything Mukuro said to Junko, and everything Junko had done to her and her friends, Mukuro still loved her. Who am I kidding? Of course she did. They were sisters, not only that but twins. They had a bond that was uniquely their own, and now that bond was severed forever. If Junko was in her position she wouldn't have bat an eye over Mukuro's demise, but this just proved that Mukuro was better than her sister. She had a heart, even if she didn't think she did. She noticed me staring at her and she simply said, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." I glanced around the court room for a second.

Everybody appeared to have split off into groups to wallow in pity, or overcome it. Beigoma and Aya looked really depressed, and Micho and Keiko were busy trying to cheer them up. Connie and Azami were off in another corner talking about something. Yasuke, Deva, and Nate were just sitting down at their seats and mindlessly staring at the floor. Shiro and Jose were off by themselves, Shiro just mindlessly slumping against a wall in the back, and Jose writing in his journal as always. Izuru and Nagito were busy discussing something, and oddly enough Jonathan and Sawa were sitting together apart from everyone else talking. Jonathan looked like he was trying to cheer Sawa up, and I could see a slight smile starting to appear on her face. Cam and Chihiro were also apart from everyone else; Chihiro looked like she was on the verge of tears and Cam was holding her hand and doing his best to comfort her. And lastly Nodaka was standing near the elevator by herself. She looked really lonely. But when she noticed I was looking at her she just frowned and turned her back to me.

I wasn't being fair to her. I knew that. But I just didn't know what to say to her. Nodaka apparently knew me before all this happened, and the way she speaks like she knows me we must've been really close. But try as might I just couldn't imagine ever meeting her. She's a frightening individual, someone you wouldn't easily forget, and yet I had. Nodaka remembered me, but I couldn't remember her. I couldn't imagine how alone she felt. I might've been her friend for all I know, and now I couldn't even comfort her because I didn't feel any attachment to her. I didn't know how I could possibly make it up to her. But I had to do something.

"You should go to her," I heard Mukuro say to me.

I looked down at her in confusion.

"You can feel it even if you don't remember, right?" Mukuro asked. "You know that she was someone very special to you and you want to be with her right now, but you don't what to say to make it up to her?"

"Whoever she is to me, I forgot her. How am I ever even supposed to forgive myself for that? Much less her forgive me? You saw how she responded when I answered her questions. When I said that I didn't remember she was crushed. What do I say that could possibly ever make things okay again?" I asked.

"Maybe you shouldn't say anything?" Mukuro replied. "Maybe you should be there for her? I think she'd like that. I know she saw us holding hands, and then you comforting me." Mukuro giggled a little. "I could sense her killing intent directed at me. Whoever she was to you, she really loves you. She loves you so much it's probably unbearable for her right now hearing you say that you don't remember."

I chuckled. "Yeah, whoever she is she gets jealous really easily. Do you think she's my girlfriend or something?"

Mukuro shrugged her shoulders. "Only she knows the answer to that."

I looked down at the floor and frowned. "But still, remember what Fuyuhikokuma said?"

Flashback:

" _What?! Who the hell's Hitomi?! You mean Natsumi, right?! Jesus, how fucked up are your heads?!" Fuyuhikokuma shouted._

Flashback:

" _Would you drop the act already? You are not young master Fuyuhiko so just stop pretending already," said Nodaka. "Just…just go away already."_

" _Young master?" Fuyuhikokuma repeated her words in confusion._

" _The only person who ever really called me that was Peko. Well her and the other people who worked for the clan. But you…I don't recognize. Who…? Who are you?! W-What do y-you kn-know?!" Then Fuyuhikokuma began to glitch out again. And when he finally stopped glitching he began to morph into his true form. Then Fuyuhikokuma chuckled, "You're not going to tell me you missed that, right?"_

 _We all turned to look at Nodaka. But it appeared that she herself didn't even know what to make of Fuyuhikokuma's strange utterance. 'He didn't recognize her? How?' I asked myself._

"He didn't recognize her. And he said his sister's name was Natsumi, not Hitomi. I don't know, it just seems like everything she said was a lie."

Mukuro shook her head. "Don't do that, don't trust Monokuma or Junko more than you trust your friends. The Mastermind probably made him say those things on purpose to deflect suspicion on her. He's getting us riled up into making us think there is a traitor amongst us. After what we just did, and what we have to do next, the others might become paranoid and start to think that it's true too. She's going to be in grave danger, and she'll need support. She loves you, whoever you are to her she loves you so deeply, don't belittle her by questioning her. If she is who she says she is, fine, if not then that doesn't mean she's with Ultimate Despair."

"That's not it," I replied. "Everybody else can remember what life was like before today, but I can't. Everything is just blurry. I can't make out a single thing clearly." I chuckled in fear. "I'm afraid I might be the traitor."

"…" Mukuro was surprised that I thought that far ahead. But the truth was I was already starting to have suspicions. As soon as I realized I couldn't remember anything that didn't have to do with this school I immediately sensed impending dread. A knot formed in my stomach and with each passing moment the knot was growing with paranoia. I was afraid that I was the traitor, afraid of what I might do if I got to close to the others. At any moment I might activate like a sleeper agent and then just kill them all in one fell swoop. And I couldn't live with that. I couldn't live with myself if I let anything bad happen to them.

Then Mukuro got up off the floor and did something that surprised the shit out of me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and then leaned in and kissed me. My eyes widened to colossal size as I felt her lips against mine. I was too shocked to move, Mukuro was in complete control of my body. She held me close for ten full seconds and then let me go.

I whispered in a shocked gasp, "What the hell was that?!"

Mukuro motioned for me to look behind me. And that's when I saw Nodaka a few meters away from us. She looked shocked, stunned even. Her mouth was agape slightly and her eyes were widened to an unbelievable size. I didn't even notice her come over this way. She must've realized how awkward things were between us and came over to talk to me, and instead she got a front row seat for _that_. I noticed that no one else had noticed, Nodaka saw it all. Then after a few moments in silence her features softened. She looked even more crushed than she did before, if that was even possible.

"Hoshi-san I…! Um…this isn't what it looks like! Ikusaba-san she…!" I tried to explain but I couldn't find the words.

"Save it," she simply said. "I don't want to hear it." She looked me in the eyes, and I could see her chartreuse eyes up close for the first time, they were beautiful I didn't know how I possibly couldn't have noticed before. But that when I saw teardrops suddenly begin to form in her eyes. "You don't remember. Even after all that time we spent together you don't remember one thing. Not even when you gave me that beautiful present for my birthday and you said that when you grew up you wanted me to be your bride. You're not him. You're not that head in the cloud doofus that I fell in love with all those years ago." Tears were streaming down her cheeks at that point. "You look like him. You talk like him. You pick fight with bullies and get your ass handed to you every time, just like he used to do. But you're not him. I don't know what I was expecting. For things to just go back to normal, like they were before you moved away? I'm so stupid."

"Hoshi-san…?" I didn't know what to say.

"Stop calling me that!" Nodaka shouted at me, getting the others' attention. They all looked over here to see what was going on.

"Call me that stupid nickname you used to use when we were little! Call me that and I'll forgive you!" Nodaka shouted me.

"…" I was at a loss.

Nodaka shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "But you can't can you? Because you're not that same doofus." Then Nodaka reached into her shirt collar and pulled off a necklace that was hidden from view and threw it on the floor. "You're an even bigger doofus!" Then she ran away crying back to the elevator. And then she went so far as to call the elevator back and hop on just to escape me. After a few moments the chains stopped rattling and we could hear the sound of someone up above us getting out of it.

"Looks like you'll have to talk to her now. Don't worry I'll say I came on to you. Knowing what a hothead she is she'll buy it," Mukuro whispered into my ear. "And don't stay stupid crap like you being the traitor. You would never betray anyone, at least not willingly."

I didn't pay attention though. I was too preoccupied staring at what Nodaka threw on the floor. It was a sterling silver necklace that had a pendant made up of two stars that were linked together. I picked the necklace up and stared at it confusion. Then I turned it over and saw that the two stars had something engraved in the back of them.

 _Akira M. + Nodaka N._

 _together forever_

 _our bond reaches farther than the stars_

'Nodaka?' That's when it finally donned on me.

Flashback:

" _My friend, my best friend…no actually I guess you could say my childhood crush, moved away before I started middle school and I never saw him again. Then a year later my parents were killed in a car accident, leaving me all alone." She hugged herself and rubbed her shoulders. "I thought that the world hated me and it took away the people closest to me on purpose. I started to think I was nothing too, and for a while that's how I felt. Empty, like there was no meaning to my life at all. But when the Kuzuryuu clan took me in I learned that my way of thinking was just a coward's way of thinking."_

I was the childhood friend from her story. I made her a promise so heartfelt and deep, and I didn't even bother to remember it. I pulled the necklace close to my chest and then began to tightly clench my fists and grit my teeth. "Goddammit!" I shouted.

* * *

A/N: Amnesia's a bitch, ain't it? Just ask Akira and he'll tell you it's true.


	22. Chapter 1, Part 6

A/N: Don't really have anything to say so let's just move on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 6: Leaving here is easier said than done**

* * *

"Hoshi-san…?" I didn't know what to say.

"Stop calling me that!" Nodaka shouted at me, getting the others' attention. They all looked over here to see what was going on.

"Call me that stupid nickname you used to use when we were little! Call me that and I'll forgive you!" Nodaka shouted me.

"…" I was at a loss.

Nodaka shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "But you can't can you? Because you're not that same doofus." Then Nodaka reached into her shirt collar and pulled off a necklace that was hidden from view and threw it on the floor. "You're an even bigger doofus!" Then she ran away crying back to the elevator. And then she went so far as to call the elevator back and hop on just to escape me. After a few moments the chains stopped rattling and we could hear the sound of someone up above us getting out of it.

"Looks like you'll have to talk to her now. Don't worry I'll say I came on to you. Knowing what a hothead she is she'll buy it," Mukuro whispered into my ear. "And don't say stupid crap like you being the traitor anymore. You would never betray anyone, at least not willingly."

I didn't pay attention though. I was too preoccupied staring at what Nodaka threw on the floor. It was a sterling silver necklace that had a pendant made up of two stars that were linked together. I picked the necklace up and stared at it confusion. Then I turned it over and saw that the two stars had something engraved in the back of them.

 _Akira M. + Nodaka N._

 _together forever_

 _our bond reaches farther than the stars_

'Nodaka?' That's when it finally donned on me.

Flashback:

" _My friend, my best friend…no actually I guess you could say my childhood crush, moved away before I started middle school and I never saw him again. Then a year later my parents were killed in a car accident, leaving me all alone." She hugged herself and rubbed her shoulders. "I thought that the world hated me and it took away the people closest to me on purpose. I started to think I was nothing too, and for a while that's how I felt. Empty, like there was no meaning to my life at all. But when the Kuzuryuu clan took me in I learned that my way of thinking was just a coward's way of thinking."_

I was the childhood friend from her story. I made her a promise so heartfelt and deep, and I didn't even bother to remember it. I pulled the necklace close to my chest and then began to tightly clench my fists and grit my teeth. "Goddammit!" I shouted.

Why? Why was I the only one here with such a messed up memory? I saw details of my past when I closed my eyes, but none of the faces or locations seemed familiar to me. I felt like I was seeing someone else's life play before my eyes. I felt no connection whatsoever to these "memories", if they were even real to begin with. There was always the possibility that Ultimate Despair created these memories and implanted them into my head. After all, if they were capable of erasing memories, it wasn't too much of a stretch to think that they could fabricate them too. I couldn't trust myself at all. For all I knew I wasn't even Akira Maita. Maybe Akira Maita never even existed. I thought back to what Makotokuma, Kazuichikuma, Akanekuma, Soniakuma, Fuyuhikokuma, and Hajimekuma said. 'None of this is real. Then maybe I'm not real either. Maybe this is all some elaborate hoax after all. But if that's the case, are any of the others real?' I thought about Nodaka. 'Is she real?' I looked down at the necklace in my hands.

Two stars linked together, nothing would ever be able to tear them apart. One said Akira, and one said Nodaka. 'But if it's not real, then why do I feel so heartbroken? Why do I hate myself so much for making her cry? Why should I even care?' I thought a lot in that one moment. I thought about first meeting Nodaka, having her laugh at me, calling me a cockroach boy and disrespecting me, and her total self-absorption. She may have been a very difficult girl to be around but still…there was another side to her that she hid. I thought about the stray glances she would steal from me when she thought I wasn't looking, how every time I was around one of the other girls she would have a sad frown on her face, and her crying fit and me trying desperately to comfort her. And that's when I realized that I was only thinking of Nodaka. She was all that was in my head. And that wasn't all. Every time I saw her face in my head, my chest ached. It wasn't painful, it was more like stress. Thinking of her made me anxious. At that point, I remembered thinking, 'Could this be love?'

You would in all honesty have to be crazy to love someone like Nodaka Hoshi. She was rude and had a bad attitude generally all the time, she cursed like a sailor, and was always quick to resolve every issue with violence. Plus, she was demeaning, demanding, and extremely vain. And yet, when I thought of all I could see were her positive traits. Her kind side that she showed to her few real friends, her determined spirit to never back down from a challenge, and her eagerness to fight and not stop until she won. But most of all her laugh, I think that was what I liked the best about her. That cute, obnoxious way she giggled whether it was through her verbal emasculation or when she was just generally happy. I couldn't help but thing that I wanted to see her smiling and laughing all the time.

And instead she was crying, and feeling lost, lonely, and afraid. Not just because of our situation, or the fact that all the people she thought of as family were all dead, or even the fact that there was now doubt on what she was certain was the truth, it was because of me. Because I was so stupid that I couldn't realize something sooner. The way she acted around me, it was obvious we had a special connection. I couldn't blame Ultimate Despair for it all, even if they took away my memories of her I still should've been able to sense the connection. Nodaka Hoshi was my best friend, and I had forgotten all about her. Even when I gave her this gift and asked her to one day be more than my friend. Forgetting something so important, that was on me. And I didn't know how to make it up to her. She was all on her own, crying her eyes out because even her so-called best friend had forsaken her. She didn't deserve it; she didn't deserve any of it.

I clenched my fist tightly around the necklace. "Ikusaba-san, could you do me a favor?" I asked Mukuro.

"Sure," Mukuro replied.

"Please hit me. Please punch me as hard as you did before, or even harder. I need to understand the pain that I've put her through. I won't feel right again, until I've been punished for doing something so horrible to her. Please hit me," I explained.

"Maita-kun?" Micho sounded worried about me.

"Kira Onii-chan?" so did Beigoma.

And then suddenly Mukuro turned me around to face her without warning. She grabbed me by my jacket collar and then reeled her right fist back ready to grant my wish. "While I agree, you do need to apologize to her and face proper punishment. I'm afraid I can't do that to you," she let go of me and then explained herself. "If anyone should have the right to hit you it should be her. Let her be the one to punish you, that's the least you can do for her right now. And then when the time comes I'll receive punishment alongside you since I'm just as guilty. I apologize, but I saw no other alternative method to force you two into talking to each other. I felt that if I didn't do something drastic you two might continue this charade until the very end. I could tell how she felt about you from the very beginning. She lets off pheromones every time you're close to her, and then gives off a violent killing intent every time you're close to another girl."

I sighed. "You couldn't have found any other method besides kissing me in front of her?"

"What?!" everyone else suddenly shouted.

"Kira Onii-chan and Mukuro Onee-chan kissed?! No, not incest!" Beigoma shouted. "It's with the wrong sister to begin with too!"

"Um, glazing over that," Micho said awkwardly. "You too seriously kissed each other?"

"More like I forced myself on him," said Mukuro. "I wasn't trying to make a move or anything though. It was a necessary action," Mukuro explained.

"Still that's a little..." Micho looked very uncomfortable.

"So you've got Bei going all little sister on you, you saw Aza's panties, you kissed Muku and now you're trying to go after Noda? Dang, Aki you move fast," Jonathan snickered.

"Hmm, I thought I already told Mr. Akira Maita not to fool around so much, didn't I?" Keiko asked. "You're going to do something you end up regretting if you mess with any more girls. I especially won't forgive you if you touch cute little Ms. Aya Kisaragi," she threatened me.

"Aww, you think I'm cute?" Aya asked in reply. She then turned to me, "You heard her Maita-san, touch me and you're shark bait."

"No fair, I'm cute too, no?" I heard Connie mutter to herself.

"First of all I'm not fooling around okay. Each one of those things were forced on me," I explained.

"Ikusaba I get, but you've got both the greatest height and weight on Jagaimo and Kiyoshi. Sounds to me like you're more of a pushover," said Yasuke.

"Girls don't like wishy-washy guys, Maita-san," said Sawa.

"You stay away from Chihiro-chan if you know what's good for you," said Cam.

"Please don't do anything," Chihiro said with an ounce of fear in her voice.

"I didn't want to say anything but I could kind of sense it too," said Nate. "But I swear, I wasn't going to do anything awkward like kiss her in front of you or something. And I sure as hell wasn't going to kiss you either. You're kind of weird Mukuro, you know that?"

"It wasn't that bad, I didn't even put my tongue in his mouth. But wait, that wasn't your first kiss was it?" Mukuro asked me.

"As far as I know, yes," I replied.

"Oh God, Hoshi might end up killing me by the end of this," she replied in fear.

"Hey speaking of tongue, Keiko-chan how did Junko-chan's taste I wonder?" Nagito asked. "Remember even though she was dressed up like Celeste-chan it was still her you were kissing?"

"Umm, I wonder," Keiko replied in embarrassment. "Would it be bad to say that I really, really enjoyed it?" she cooed. "Don't get me wrong I'm going to wash the crazy out of my mouth as soon as I get the chance but still…she really knew how to make a girl feel special." She literally had stars in her eyes.

Jonathan coughed loudly. "Predatorial lez," he murmured under his cough.

Aya backed away from Keiko in fear. "Suddenly Akasaka-senpai is scarier than Maita-san." And then when Aya left Keiko's side, Connie came up quickly to take her place.

"So anyway, what are you going to do Aki-chan? I mean not only is No-chan your childhood friend but according to her you're supposed to be engaged to be engaged. How are you going to make it up to her?" Shiro asked.

"I don't know. I can't help that I don't have my memories of her. I guess all I can do is just apologize and explain things to her and hope she forgives me, and then we'll see how things go from there."

"Are you going to end up marrying her Kira Onii-chan?" Beigoma asked in a sad-sounding voice. "It was just a promise between little kids after all. You don't have to follow it if you don't want to. You might even meet someone else down the road."

"God, you are so transparent," said Jose.

"Enough about marriage!" I exclaimed. I held the necklace out for the others to see. "Even Nodaka thought that when we saw each other again nothing was going to happen. I think all she really wants is…her friend back. The younger me, who I don't even remember anymore. She needs me, and I can't be there for her. God is even possible to hate yourself as much as I do right now?"

"Definitely possible, just ask Nagito," said Nate.

"I'm always happy to be included," Nagito replied.

"It's not your fault. If you're going to blame anyone blame the Mastermind and Ultimate Despair, they're the ones who took your memories," said Deva. "And it's not just you, Junko said that it's going to happen to all of us eventually. One by one, we'll slowly lose our memories until soon we won't remember our names, much less remember our childhood."

"What's it like anyway, Maita-kun?" Micho asked.

"Really weird. Some things are there, like I remember things from the Reserve Department, and I even remember a few things from when I was a middle schooler. But other than that, I don't feel anything. I recall details but nothing specific. And anytime I try to remember a face it's all blurred out. It's scary to be honest. I don't know anything about who I am besides my name, and even that might be a lie. It's possible right, Matsuda-kun? Possible that Ultimate Despair fabricated memories as well as erasing them?"

Yasuke sighed. "Definitely possible and doable if they have my research."

"The amnesia, it like so bad that soon you might even forget how to breathe?" Cam asked.

"You don't need to think about breathing in order to breathe, that's another part of the brain entirely moron," Yasuke replied. "The problem is with our hippocampuses, the portion of the brain that stores memory. If they are using my notes than they probably made use of the machine I was building too. In which case our hippocampuses have been zapped making us forget everything that's happened for the last seven years."

"Zapped you mean they electrocuted us?!" Aya exclaimed.

"Basically, yeah. Think of the brain as a giant lightning rod, it's already conducting its own electrical current due to the neurochemical reactions that constantly take place inside of our body. The electrical current is constantly running throughout the entire nervous system and giving energy to your whole body. Neurochemistry, just one of the many fields of neurology has taught us that that by controlling the electrical current we can in turn control how the brain operates. The brain is preset to release both negative and positive charge depending on the type of energy it receives from the neurochemical reactions. There have already been studies conducted throughout the world that prove if you give the hippocampus an opposite charge it can cancel the brain section's neurochemical reactions completely due to both opposite charges colliding and forming a neutral charge. The only problem is that the amount of electrical current can't be controlled and basically if you zap a person's hippocampus you wipe out their entire memory. But those other people weren't me," Yasuke explained in a smug tone. "Through my research I found a way to control the electrical input introduced to the hippocampus and only erase certain memories, according to the user's choosing. But unfortunately it's still untested so it doesn't surprise me that there's a bug in the system. Apparently erasing more than a year's worth of memories can lead to a drastic result and that might explain Mata's condition." Yasuke sighed. "Junko was right, there's nothing I can do. It's only a matter of time before our memories all get wiped completely."

"If you knew it was dangerous then why did you ever bother creating such a horrible machine in the first place?" Sawa asked.

"Because, if I was able to figure out how to control memories than I could be on the path to better understanding how several horrible diseases like Alzheimer's, have such a devastating effect on the mind's ability to process memory, and one day I might be able to figure out a way to cure it. The same thing with Huntington's, Schizophrenia, and any other neurological disease. I want to cure them all. I just wanted to help people…to help her. But I guess you're right, it is my fault for what's been done to us." Yasuke frowned and then he said something very unlike him, "I'm sorry, not just for letting this happen to you but also for not being able to find a way to fix it."

"It's not your fault, and you know what? Deva's right, it's not my fault either," I replied. I looked down at the necklace. "I want to keep fighting even if I forget everything in the process. I'm not going to let the fact that I can't remember her keep me from being there for her. I want to be her friend again…even if for me it'll feel like the first time. I'm not going to leave her alone again."

"Hmm, _the key to your future is the following:_ " Izuru read aloud from something.1

We all turned to see that he was next to the funeral altar in the middle of the stand circle. He had a scrap of paper in his hands and he was examining it thoroughly.

"Umm, what are you doing Kamukura-san?" Chihiro asked.

Izuru looked up. "Oh I got bored while Matsuda-kun was going on and on about neurology. So I recalled what Monokuma said and started checking the funeral altar for the way out."

"What the hell?! Why were you ignoring me?! That was like my defining moment, you bastard!" Yasuke shouted at Izuru.

Izuru shrugged his shoulders. "You were boring. I don't waste my time with boring things remember."

"Son of a bitch," Yasuke cursed.

"So what did you find Kokushibyou-kun hebi?" Azami asked.

"A riddle, it was behind Junko Enoshima's portrait," Izuru replied as he held up the scrap of paper.

"A riddle?" Micho repeated in confusion.

"Crap, I suck at riddles," Deva replied. "If Soshun was here he'd solve it an instant."

"Well luckily I'm every bit as smart as Murasame-kun so I solved it already too," Izuru replied.

"Well don't leave us in suspense dude, what's the answer?" Nate asked.

"You want to know the answer to the riddle before even hearing the riddle? That's like putting the cart before the horse wouldn't you say?" Izuru asked.

"So in other words you want us to solve the riddle ourselves?" Jose asked.

"Not me, Monokuma, it says so specifically in the instructions. See," Izuru walked back to us and then handed me the scrap of paper. I held it out in front of me so the others could look over my shoulders and examine it as well. This is what it read:

 _If you wish to leave the academy you will only be able to do so through a single exit. You should all know where it is. But beware, the exit is booby-trapped and will only open if you make sure to follow the following rules:_

 _First, the key to the exit can only be found by answering the riddle on the back of this note._

 _Second, each of you must solve the riddle on your own. You may not share answers; I'll know if you do. I have cameras everywhere._

 _Third, you all must use the key on your own to access the exit. The exit will only stay open for ten seconds and will only open a maximum of twenty times. And after that the exit will never open again so you should have just enough time for each of you to go through on your own._

 _Fourth, each of you must wait a minimum five minutes after the previous player leaves before accessing the exit again. If you do not wait and immediately open the exit again you will be punished severely._

 _Fifth, you must also exit the academy alphabetically by last name. So in other words, the first person who has to exit is Keiko-chan, her last name being Akasaka; then Micho-chan, and then Nate-kun, then Chihiro-chan, and so on and so on. This is mostly just to mess with you, but rest assured you will be punished severely if you do not do so._

 _Sixth, again you each have to go through the exit on your own. The reason being it's the only way to assure that you receive your ticket for entry in the game. If any of the previous rules are broken you will not receive your ticket and will be barred from entering the game._

 _Seventh, any player who does not receive a ticket and tries to enter the game anyway will be severely punished._

 _Eighth, when you receive your ticket you may not mess with or tamper with it until the headmaster says otherwise will be severely punished._

 _Ninth, when you exit the academy you must remain where you are until the rest of your class joins you. Any player who does not do so will be severely punished._

 _Tenth, when you all leave the academy the game officially begins, so feel free to go ahead and start the killing._

 _And now the final rule, as soon as the first person opens the exit an alarm will sound that will inform you of some more news. It would be in your best interest to heed it._

 _\- Love, Monokuma._

"So Izuru wasn't being full of it. It seriously says we're not supposed to share answers," said Nate.

"So many rules, and the consequence for breaking them say that you'll be punished severely," said Keiko. "You think that means…?"

"Executed, no doubt," Jose answered her.

Micho groaned. "Leave it to Monokuma to make even the easy part hard. With so many conditions just for leaving the academy, I can't imagine what the actual game's going to be like."

"Don't get discouraged, he's doing this just to mess with us. Let's just get through this and we'll be out of here in no time," I replied.

"But still, what if everybody doesn't answer the riddle correctly?" Aya asked. "Does that mean they'll have to stay behind?"

"Most likely, and that'll be inconvenient if there are people behind them. Remember, the rules also specified that we have to leave through the exit in alphabetical order by last name. If someone gets stuck then everyone gets stuck, and there are no sharing answers allowed either. And we only get one turn each to try and open the exit, after twenty tries its game over. Which means none of us can be wrong," Shiro explained.

"…" we were all shocked by Shiro's surprisingly easy to follow logic.

Shiro chuckled and blushed in embarrassment. "I mentioned before that I was good with puzzles, right? I was just thinking if we weren't the ones being forced to do this it would almost be like the perfect puzzle."

"So you think you can solve the riddle?" I asked.

"Probably, I've always been very good at all sorts of brain teasers. But who knows, maybe the riddle is designed to be so hard that it's unsolvable. If I were in charge, that's how I would set it up at least, either that or have the riddle be a trick to lure the players into another trap. You know, intentionally deceive them so you can defeat them easily? It's a standard trope really," Shiro explained.

"…" we all just gave him weird looks.

"Umm…not that I would ever think about doing something so horrible to anybody. Don't be absurd, I'm just saying I admire the Mastermind's cleverness that's all," Shiro saved himself.

"Why do I suddenly feel like we're trapped in here with Jigsaw himself?" Jonathan asked himself.

"Definitely suspicious, no?" Connie replied.

"You don't need to worry, a convoluted puzzle or not the riddle itself is actually quite simple. It's one of the oldest ones in existence," said Izuru. "Go ahead, see for yourself."

I turned the note over and read what was on the other side:

 _I'm more powerful than God. I'm more evil than the Devil. The poor have me. The rich need me. And if you eat me, you will die. What am I?_

"See simple, right?" Izuru asked.

"Umm, I don't get it," Cam replied.

"What?" Izuru looked astounded.

"I don't get what it's saying at all. The first two lines make it sound like Monokuma is talking about himself, you know how he's more powerful than God and more evil than the Devil? But the rest of it sounds really weird if you think about it like that. And I don't have any other ideas of what it could be. I'm sorry, I just can't think of the answer," Cam apologized.

"Well luckily you're the last person in line so there's plenty of time for you to use that insignificant brain of yours to solve it. But everyone else here has got it right?" Izuru asked.

"Umm, actually I don't understand it either," said Keiko as she sweatdropped in embarrassment.

Izuru sighed. "Of course, it would have to be the person who's first in line. In that case we may never get out of here."

"I feel like I can get it if I have a little more time to think about it. I swear, I'll have it figured out by the time we have to leave," said Keiko.

"Very well, does everyone else know the answer?" Izuru asked. Everyone else knew the answer to the riddle much to Izuru's delight, everyone except me of course. I mean come on what did you expect from me?

So Keiko, Cam, and I were the odd ones out. And unfortunately according to Monokuma's rules, the others couldn't share the answer to the riddle with any of us. Which means it was up to us to figure it out for ourselves. Keiko being first in line, it fell upon her to solve the riddle first otherwise none of us would be able to leave, and I was stuck in the middle so if I didn't answer correctly than the others behind me would be doomed. But Cam, he drew the short straw. His last name being Yano, he was meant to be last in line which meant that if he didn't figure out the riddle he'd be trapped inside the academy by himself for the rest of his natural life. And it appeared he had realized his misfortune at that moment as well because he began to sweat bullets.

"Hey, umm, you guys aren't going to just leave me here if I don't figure out the riddle, right?" Cam asked with an audible gulp.

"Well think about it rationally. There are only twenty attempts allowed to open the exit, and there's twenty of us. If the remainder of us solve the riddle and use nineteen of those attempts in order to leave that would leave just one for you, so yes, if you didn't solve the riddle we'd be forced to leave you behind," said Izuru. "Don't get me wrong, it's nothing personal. It's just how this game is set up."

Cam started to laugh nervously at his misfortune. "I am so fucked," he said to himself. It appeared as if her already thought his fate was sealed.

While Chihiro did her best to comfort Cam the rest of us continued our discussion. "So where do you guys think this exit is anyway?" Nate asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nagito replied. "There's only one place it could be, right?"

I let my other self answer the question. "The entrance hall. You think the answer to the riddle is the key to opening the vaulted door in the entrance hall, Nagito?" I asked.

"Yes I do, bravo. Gold star for Akira-kun. If you'll recall Chihiro-chan said earlier that…" Nagito began to explain things.

 **Flashback:**

" _You're probably right, and come to think of it things seemed a little different about the building after I woke up. There were security cameras and monitors in all the halls and inside all the rooms. And then there's the entrance hall. I'm definitely sure that this is not how it looked when I first arrived here. It looks all sci-fi now."_

 _The dark blue-haired girl spoke again. "I see what you mean, and those things up on the ceiling, are those guns?"_

" _I…I th-think so…" the timid girl began to speak again, "_ _ **They're most li-likely there to p-prevent us from trying anything. You s-see that panel next to t-the door? It looks l-like you use i-it to put in a c-code.**_ _"_

" _Are you saying it's a code to open the door, dude?" the auburn-haired boy spoke up again. "Because I already tried everything I could think of to break it down and nothing's worked."_

" _Are you saying it's a code to open the door, dude?" the auburn-haired boy spoke up again. "Because I already tried everything I could think of to break it down and nothing's worked."_

 _The athletic-looking boy cut in. "Um, I'm pretty sure that door's made out of impenetrable steel. I doubt you could just open it up with broad force," he said as he sweatdropped._

" _Oho, you obviously don't know me then, dude. I've got mad skills, yo!"_

 _The timid girl continued, "_ _ **T-The important thing is…i-if that panel is f-for opening th-the door then just im-imagine what would h-happen if…you p-put in the wrong code.**_ _"_

Chihiro turned away from Cam and gasped. "That's right. The panel next to the vaulted door had a keypad not only with numbers but with letters as well. Which means the answer to the riddle is the code for the door," she explained.

"Chihiro-chan, why have you abandoned me in my hour of need?" Cam inwardly groaned when Chihiro stopped paying attention to him. He looked majorly depressed at that point.

"So all we have to do is enter the answer to the riddle as the code to open the exit, and then we can finally get out of here, right?" Sawa asked.

"Yes, but you're also forgetting the rules. We only have twenty attempts at opening the exit, which means just one attempt for each of us. And then after that only one of us can leave at a time, so even if we do make it out it's going to take a little while. And then there's also the last rule Monokuma mentioned. _As soon as the first person opens the exit an alarm will sound that will inform you of some more news. It would be in your best interest to heed it._ That has ominous written all over it. There's no doubt it will be some kind of trap," Jose thought aloud. Then he looked over to Shiro. "Say, Shirobane-san? You said earlier that if you were in the Mastermind's place you would do things differently, right? Tell me, how would you end this game?"

"Well, hypothetically?" Shiro replied, to which Jose responded with a nod. "I'd have a trap set in place that would activate as soon as the players try to escape, the most obvious choice would be a bomb that activates it's timer as soon as the exit opens for the first time. If the twenty of us have to go through the exit alone, and wait an interval of five minutes each time we open the exit again that would bring us to a total time of one-hundred minutes needed for all of us to escape. To make it more challenging the bomb would be set to go off in one-hundred and five minutes or so. A race against the clock would make the escape that more challenging. But again, that's just what I would do if I was the Mastermind."

"That's oddly specific," Yasuke replied in a suspicious tone. "You're not hiding anything from us are you?"

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked.

"He's asking whether or not you know more about this mutual killing game then you're letting on," Izuru explained. "Tell me Matsuda-kun, do you think Shirobane-kun is the traitor?"

"All I'm saying is that it's a little weird, I'm not accusing anybody of anything," said Yasuke.

"Please stop arguing, I guarantee that Enoshima-chan was lying before," said Beigoma. "There is no traitor, none of us here are at fault. We should stop suspecting one another and work together."

Yasuke sighed. "You're right, what was I thinking anyway? She was obviously lying about the traitor to get us to suspect each other. She wants us to go paranoid and end up killing each other. She's screwing with us from beyond the grave."

"Please don't misunderstand me. I like puzzles and games, but I would never imagine anybody being capable of doing something like this. This is just wrong. The only way to escape is by killing your friends? It's like the plot of _Saw_ only even crueler. On top of killing one friend, you have to lie to the others and then stab them all in the back. I wouldn't anyone to have to go through this. The truth is I don't want to do this either, I'm scared, I'm really scared," Shiro said with a sigh. "I don't want to die. That's the last thing I want. And I don't want any of you to die either. But I agree, we can't just stand around doing nothing. We have to find a way to escape the game, before it's too late. So let's stick it out until we find a way out of the game, and until then I may not be of any use when it comes to anything besides puzzles but I hope you'll let me help you guys."

"Of course, you're our friend Shirobane-kun," I replied. "Friends stick together through thick and thin. And we're definitely going to need someone like you around knowing Monokuma, it's only a matter of time before he gives us another puzzle to solve."

Shiro smiled at me and then chuckled happily. "Thanks Aki-chan."

"So Yocchan, what do you think our next move should be?" Sawa asked.

"Umm, me? Why are you asking me?" Shiro seemed surprised.

"Well I think I speak for everyone when I say that you should be the one to guide us through this part of the game. You say you're good with puzzles so help us solve this one, okay Yocchan?" Sawa asked.

"Umm, is that true?" Shiro asked to everyone else.

"Well if we're going to have another Jigsaw in this game I'm just glad he's on our side. I'll work with you Shi," said Jonathan.

"Jagaimo-chan knows she can count on Pandora-kun hebi," Azami replied.

"Pandora?" Shiro chuckled. "I like it. Okay, if you guys think I can do this then I'll do my best. Right, umm the first thing we should probably do is find No-chan."

"Yeah, we can't just leave her behind. Plus, her last name starts with 'H' which means she has to go through the exit before a lot of the others," said Jose.

"Okay then, you heard the man peons! Let's get out of this hellhole and go find ourselves a tsundere maid!" Deva exclaimed.

Micho sweatdropped. "Pretty sure she said she didn't like to be called that."

"The best thing for us to do would be to split into teams to look for her, since she could be anywhere in the school right now," Shiro explained. "So um, Sa-chan, Jon-chan?" Shiro called out to Sawa and Jonathan. "Why don't the three of us go check the dormitory area for her?"

Jonathan sighed. "Great, Jigsaw I can handle but I'm also going to be hanging out with Barefoot too? I am surrounded by idiots."

Sawa pouted. "Jerk, and to think you were being so nice to me before. I won't make the same mistake of trying to be friends with you. You want to act tough, fine just don't be calling for my help when you get yourself into trouble."

"Like I'd call on an idiot like you for anything," Jonathan replied. "When you eventually get tetanus from running around barefoot all the time I'm going to be there just to laugh and say I told you so."

Sawa growled. "You are so infuriating!"

"Um, are you sure you're going to be okay with the two of them, dude?" Nate asked.

Shiro sweatdropped and then chuckled. "I should be fine…I hope."

"Okay then, how about me, Baron, and Murasame 2 over there, check out the first floor of the academy?" Yasuke asked.

"I'm cool with that dude," Nate replied.

"As long as I can be in charge dammit!" Deva exclaimed.

"Okay then, Azami-tan and I will go check out the second floor," said Micho. Then she looked over to Beigoma. "And why don't you come along with us, Kiyoshi-chan?"

"Eh?! But I want to go with Kira Onii-chan!" Beigoma whined like a little girl.

"Yeah but you know just in case he's the person that finds her first I think it might be better if you're not there because umm…" Micho tried to reply but found herself at a loss for words.

"Because you two are at each other's throats on almost a regular basis," Jonathan was quick to the point as always. "You read a lot of manga, you should know this set up. The little sister and the girlfriend are always vying for the protagonist's attention, to the point of sheer competitiveness."

Beigoma pouted. "I guess you're right, but I'd still rather go with Kira Onii-chan."

"Well how's about it if I go with you too?" Mukuro asked. "Would that make you feel any better?"

"Sure, if Mukuro Onee-chan's coming I guess that's fine. She probably needs to stay far away from Kira Onii-chan anyway after what she pulled," Beigoma said in an innocent, albeit threatening voice.

"Okay then it's settled hebi!" Azami exclaimed. "Azami-tan, Waatame-chan, Shichou-chan, and Shimi-chan are a team hebi!" Azami exclaimed as she pulled all four girls into a group hug. their conflicted facial expressions were really quite a sight. Azami looked extremely giddy while the other three looked uncomfortable being so scrunched up together.

"Alright then I guess Ms. Aya Kisaragi, Ms. Connie Takemi, and I will check the third floor," Keiko said.

"What a coincidence, your team is made up entirely of girls," said Jonathan.

Keiko giggled. "I know isn't it just perfect?"

"Akasaka-senpai is scary. Please don't do anything to poor little Aya," Aya replied in fear.

I heard Connie murmur to herself. "Sacre Bleu! I would be happy if only Mademoiselle Walrus wasn't there to ruin it!"

"Then how's about Izuru-kun, Jose-kun, and I go check the fourth floor?" Nagito asked.

"That's fine with me," said Izuru.

"Me too," said Jose.

"Now there's a frightening combination," said Jonathan.

"Then I guess that just leaves Maita-san, Yano-san, and I," said Chihiro. "We should go check the fifth floor."

"Okay then, let's hurry up and find Hoshi-san. Once we do that we can plan our escape," I said. The others replied by nodding and then with our minds up we all made our way for the elevator and crammed ourselves inside.

The only thing I wasn't sure about was what I was going to say to Nodaka when I saw her again.

* * *

A/N: And that's all she wrote. Next time, you will discover more details from Akira and Nodaka's past and learn about their connection with each other. Also a few new secrets are uncovered and the students finally manage to get outside of the academy, only to have a big surprise waiting for them on the other side.


	23. Chapter 1, Part 7

A/N: This one's a real tearjerker, you might want to have a box of tissues handy. (* _sob_ * * _sob_ *)

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 7: The boy with his head in the clouds and the girl with stars in her eyes**

* * *

DAYTIME, 4:00 PM

The elevator pulled up to the first floor and then the doors opening with a startling * _ding_ *. Not one of us said a single word on the ride up there. There was no more time for words, only action. The others knew that as well as I did. It was time to get out of here, so that's why we all left to search the academy for Nodaka with hardly any pause.

Shiro, Sawa, and Jonathan, raced off to the dormitory. "I'll come find you guys if we find her first!" Shiro called out to the rest of us as he and his group ran off to check if Nodaka had wandered back there.

"Right, we'll send someone to get you if she's in one of our areas!" I replied as the rest of us made our way towards the first floor staircase.

As we rounded up to the second floor, Azami, Beigoma, Micho, and Mukuro spilt off from the rest of us. "This is our stop, wish us luck," Micho said as she and the other girls quickly began to search the second floor, while the rest of us rounded the stairs to the third floor.

Then as soon as we reached the third floor we headed for the fourth floor staircase while Aya, Connie, and Keiko stayed behind to search for Nodaka. "If we find her, I'll be sure to call you Mr. Akira Maita. You've got some explaining to do after all. I won't forgive you for making such a cute girl cry," she said in a threatening tone.

"Noted," I quickly replied, and then hurried to keep up with the others.

And when we reached the fourth floor Izuru, Jose, and Nagito split off from us to search. "If you don't mind there's something else I'd like to investigate while we're looking for her here. If anything pans out I'll be sure to tell you," Izuru said to me and then ran off to join Jose and Nagito.

Part of me wondered what Izuru was curious about, but at that moment all I was concerned about was Nodaka. I had to find her. I had to tell her I was sorry…not just for the kiss but for everything. I was still so amazed how blind I had been. The way she was acting, even before her outburst in the class trial. I should've noticed something. She was trying to tell me something, but she knew that it wouldn't make a difference. Maybe she just thought I had forgotten what she looked like, but after finding out that I couldn't remember anything at all she looked beyond crushed. It was almost as if all hope had been drained from her. Knowing that her best friend was just a stranger to her, and then on top of that seeing the kiss. I could only imagine that her heart been completely broken. It almost seemed like she had nothing left to live for.

And then a wicked thought crept into my head which I quickly dismissed. 'No, there's no way. She's a fighter. No matter how tough things get, she would never.' And finally, after what felt like an eternity Cam, Chihiro, and I reached the fifth floor. "There's six rooms. Three classrooms, the archery dojo, the botanical garden, and the biology lab," I explained to the two of them. "Cam you go check the dojo and the garden, Chihiro you check classrooms 5-A and 5-B, and leave 5-C and the biology lab to me." They both nodded in agreement and ran off to search their chosen areas. Classroom 5-C was at the back end of a long hall that didn't match the décor of most of the fifth floor. And just down from it was the biology lab, I considered the possibility of checking their first as I had not been inside yet but as I turned to head to the biology lab I heard a small sniffle coming from inside classroom 5-C. I stopped so abruptly that I almost tripped. Then I forced open the door to the classroom crime scene and saw that Hajime Hinata's body was no longer there, but someone else was.

"Hoshi-san!" I exclaimed. My worst fears had come to pass. Nodaka Hoshi, the arrogant take-charge girl that I had come to known through all of our troubles was crouching down on the floor with tears in her eyes and a sword pressed to her stomach. She just stared at me for the first couple of moments. Even through her tear-stained eyes I could see that she looked surprised and confused to see me. She must've thought that by the time I showed up she would already be dead. Yes, I couldn't deny, no matter how much I wanted to. Right here in this room, as many had done before her, Nodaka Hoshi was planning to kill herself. I froze and didn't dare to utter another word when I saw her current state. I was afraid that if I startled her she would force the sword through her abdomen and that would be the end of it. And that was the last thing I wanted. Not again, never again. I didn't want anyone else I knew to die.

Her hands were trembling but she appeared to have a firm grasp of the sword's handle, I recognized it as the same sword that Peko Pekoyama committed harakiri with all those years ago. Nodaka was attempting to do the same, and she would've if I was just a second later. That thought alone pushed me over the edge. Before I knew it we had just been staring each other down for over a minute. Neither of us said a word. I just looked at her with fear and guilt, and she looked at me contempt and regret. But finally I couldn't bare the silence any longer and stepped into the classroom. "Hoshi-san," I called out to her.

"Stay back!" she shouted at me, getting me to stop dead in my tracks. "Don't come any closer! I swear to God I'll do it!"

I tried to laugh it off. "Hoshi-san, don't even joke about something like that."

"It's not a joke!" she shouted back at me.

"…" I didn't know what to say.

"Just go away! What do you care if I die?! You barely know me! I'm a stranger to you aren't I?! So why should you care if I live or die?! What's it to you?!" she shouted as tears streamed down her face.

A simple apology wasn't going to cut it. I knew that even before this. What can you say to make it to someone who you've hurt so deeply? Nothing. There is nothing that can ever make up for what I've done to her. So I just stood there, mouth agape, trembling like a coward.

She calmed down a little, "You shouldn't care. I'm nothing, to you and to the others. I'm nothing at all. What does it matter if I live or die? You guys would be fine without me. I would just hold you back. And I…" she shook her head and continued to sniffle. "I just can't do this anymore. It's too painful. My heart can't take it. Everyone I ever knew or cared about, they're all gone. And to top that off, I might not even be remembering things right."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Everything I remember about the Kuzuryuu clan, it feels so real but…her name, I got my own Mistress' name wrong. Natsumi not Hitomi. Natsumi not Hitomi. Natsumi not Hitomi. If any of it was real, how could I possibly do something like that?" Nodaka asked.

I didn't have a reply.

"I thought about it over and over again since we got rid of that fake young master Fuyuhiko. The things he said, they seemed so real, he seemed so real," she said.

"That's not true. It was just one of the Mastermind's tricks," I replied.

Nodaka shook her head. "No, they were true. Everything he said was true. Because ever since then I can't remember anything about them."

My eyes widened.

"Their faces are all that's there. But all those memories I had of them welcoming me into their clan, treating me like their own flesh and blood family, spending so much time together with them. Peko-sama, young master Fuyuhiko, and the Mistress. They're all gone, completely whited out. It's like there's a damn snowstorm inside my head!"

She was describing the exact same occurrence that had happened to me not that long ago.

"You just forgot, but mine's much worse. I can't even believe that the memories I had were real at all. I think they were all lies, every last thing in my life is a lie," she explained.

"You don't know that for sure, it might just be the amnesia," I replied.

"Oh yeah?! Tell that to Natsumi!" she barked back at me.

"…" I didn't reply again.

She continued to cry. "If none of that was real, then what does that mean? Is anything I remember real? Am I real? Did I ever even once truly exist? What if everything in my life is just made up?" She scoffed. "What if Enoshima was right? What if there really is someone amongst us who doesn't belong? A traitor? What if I'm the traitor?"

"…" I just didn't know what to say to get her out of this funk.

"If that's the case, isn't it better that I die now? Ultimate despair loses their mole on the inside and I know you and the others will be safe. Everybody wins, if I die. So don't you think I should? I mean, what's the point right? What's the point of living if I'm living a lie? Nothing's real, it's just part of Ultimate Despair's plan. I've figured it out, it's all make-believe," she said with a weak attempt at a smile.

I pulled out her necklace and showed it to her. "Nodaka N., not H.," I said. "What you asked me before…"

 **Flashback:**

" _I know that you said before that you couldn't really remember anything before you woke up here this morning, and I know that it's because of the side effects of your memories being erased but if there's even a chance that you might remember I have to know for sure. Does the name Nakatsukaze mean anything to you?"_

" _Nakatsukaze? Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" I asked._

" _I just have to know okay. Nakatsukaze? Ring any bells?"_

" _No sorry, I don't know anyone by that name," I replied._

"Nodaka Nakatsukaze? Is that you real name?" I asked her.

"I changed my name when I came to live with the Kuzuryuu clan, or so I thought," Nodaka replied. "That might not even be my real name, it might just be fake too."

"And Akira M.? That stands for Akira Maita, doesn't it?" I asked.

Nodaka chuckled through her tears. "Our whole relationship might've just been made up too. It would explain a lot of things." I took a chance and stepped into the room. Nodaka appeared to have let her guard down a little. "It could just be part of Ultimate Despair's plan, have me be so invested with you that my cover as the traitor will go completely unnoticed. It makes a lot sense when you think about it."

"Do you think that's the truth?" I asked her.

"My brain says yes, but I can't tell if my heart's saying anything differently. It hurts too much to say anything." Nodaka finally noticed that I had approached her when she looked up only to find me crouched down in front of her. She scoffed again. "Why do you even care what happens to me? I'm just some spy who was implanted with false memories of you. I'm nothing to you really. So why do you not want me to die?" Her grip on the sword loosened and I managed to pull it away from her.

Then I leaned in and brought my thumb to her face and then tried my best to wipe her tears away. "Because, even if you believe everything about you is a lie, I still trust you. I know exactly who you are. You're Nodaka, a cute, take charge, crafty, courageous, violent, foul-mouthed girl who's rude and crude to the point where it's almost pathetic. But for whatever reason…" I took a chance and leaned in closer, "She's also the girl I've fallen in love with," I whispered to her.

She was surprised at first but she sensed what I was about to do and began to lean in also. And then, our lips met. It was a weird sensation, granted Mukuro was my first but I didn't really feel anything when I kissed her, but this…this was something else entirely. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest, and my hands wouldn't stop trembling. I was also incredibly aware of Nodaka, the warm sensation of her hands, the sweet smell of her hair, and the feeling and taste of her lips. She was still crying of course, so it was very wet, but it was unbelievably magical. I was completely captivated by her. And then after about half a minute I withdrew and stared into her big beautiful chartreuse eyes.

Nodaka looked spellbound at first but after a few moments she came back to her sense and wiped away the rest of her tears. "You better not have just been saying all stuff that to get me to calm down. Otherwise I'll kill you before I kill myself," she said in a threatening tone.

I tilted her head to look me in the eyes. "I promise, I'm not lying. I love you, I always have, Noutaku." I smiled at her reaction.

Her eyes had grown so wide that you'd think she was part bug. "W-What did you just say?"

"Heh, well what do you know? Guess I remember now. Kind of cliché that a kiss did it though," I said to myself.

Nodaka glared at me. "That amnesia crap better not have all been an act or I swear to God…!" she was about the punch me but I stopped her.

"I'm serious, and it's only one memory. Our first kiss, the last day we ever saw each other," I replied.

She gasped. And then after she calmed down she began to blush a deep red. "Geez, of all the memories we shared together why did you have to remember that one. I was an even bigger doofus than you that day."

I chuckled. "Oh I remember all right." I cleared my throat and did my best impersonation of Nodaka. " _Hey Akira, when you come back here again let's really get married! We can have a big house and lots of kids and we'll be happy forever! Just promise me you'll come back!_ " Then I laughed even harder.

Nodaka covered her face in her hands. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! It's too embarrassing!" she shouted.

"But that's not all I remember, I remember your song too," I replied. And then she calmed down and began to listen to my entire recollection. "That song you used to sing to me whenever I felt sad or lonely. You remember too, right?"

Nodaka lowered her hands and smiled at me. "Yeah I remember." Then she giggled. "How could I forget? I sang that lame song to you almost on a daily basis."

 **Flashback:**

 _ **Seven years ago…**_

 _I couldn't remember that much about our past together. But one thing I was certain of was that it did happen. Originally my family lived in a small apartment complex near Hope's Peak Academy, Nodaka's family happened to be our neighbors and our parents quickly became good friends. But Nodaka and I, were like fire and ice from the very beginning. Back then she acted the way she does now for the most part, rude, crude, and quick to resolve every problem she encountered with violence. Even though she dressed like a girl half the kids in our neighborhood still mistook her as a boy from the way she talked and acted. And as you can imagine, her bad attitude result in her pool of friends being severely diminished. And unfortunately just by being associated with her I was blacklisted by the other kids too. In fact, I recall that she was the reason I didn't have that many friends growing up. But after we got to know each other a little better we started to find out that we had a lot in common, and so we started to get more involved in each other's lives. My hobby was drawing, so she encouraged me to become so good that one day I could draw a portrait of her, the perfect art subject. And it turned out that Nodaka was very interested in astronomy and stargazing, which she admitted her parents had gotten her into, them being an astronomy professor and a rocket scientist respectively. So needless to say, Nodaka's life since birth revolved around the stars._

 _I remembered that she used to tell me all these interesting things about the wonders in the sky, and I even went stargazing with her a few times after that. Her favorite thing though, was learning the mythology associated with space. She would say that every star in the nighttime sky had its own story, as did the planets and moons that surrounded them. I was amazed at how knowledgeable she was about those things. And so eventually it got to the point where she dragged me around everywhere with her, I felt like her shadow half the time to be honest. But still, I was happy that I had a friend I could call my own. But at the same time I also began to feel another feeling towards Nodaka, more than friendship, I couldn't explain it but I knew that much at least. Every time I was around her after that it was like there were butterflies in my stomach. And soon I realized that the strange feeling I felt towards her was love._

 _So one year before my family and I moved away I saved up as much money as possible in order to buy her a gift for her birthday and tell her about my feelings. That gift was the necklace that she always wore as a sign that the two of us were connected forever and ever. Nodaka accepted my love for her and returned it tenfold, and from that day on we were a couple. And as you could imagine our parents teased us to no end, that was the one unbearable part from that one year as a couple but I knew that I could learn to live with it. But then come the following year my parents sprung the news on me that they had to move far away for work and I immediately fell down into the dumps. And after I told Nodaka, she felt the same way I did yet again. Soon our relationship would be over and that would be the end of things between us for good. So we just avoided it and continued on as we had done before, until our very last day together._

 _We had this spot in a nearby park that we would always go to together. It was situated on a hill that gave an overlook of the area surrounding it, and at the very top there was a large tree which we would sometimes spend hours upon hours just sitting under and talking. And then when the stars came out she would point them out one by one and explain their significance to me. But that day was different. I was so sad that you sense my depression from a mile away, and Nodaka was being her usual stubborn self and pretending not to be sad, even though I could tell deep down that she wanted to cry her eyes out. We could both sense each other's feelings, we were connected like that. And that's the reason that this separation was going to be so difficult. We had spent so much time just avoiding it but it crept up on us so fast that we almost couldn't believe it._

 _So we sat in our usual spot. My head was rested in Nodaka's lap as she sat against the tree and stroked my hair in a monotonous motion. I remembered that back then I looked mostly the same, save for the lack of my studded ear, Nodaka's outward appearance however looked much different. Her skin was pale back then, almost snow white actually, and she wore her hair longer, and most noticeable of all she always wore these big broad-framed glasses. Some of the other kids made the mistake of calling her four-eyes from time to time and she swiftly silenced them with her fists. Nodaka Nakatsukaze was a very troubling girl, but despite all that I still loved her very, very deeply._

" _I don't want to leave," I said for probably the hundredth time that day._

" _I know," she simply replied, trying her best to hide her sadness._

" _You know if I could do something I would, right?" I asked her._

" _I know," she replied again._

" _I promise; I'll write to you every week. No matter what, I don't want to ever forget you. I still love you, always have always will," I said._

 _She nodded and replied, "I know."_

 _I looked up at her. "Nodaka?" She couldn't contain her despair much longer. She looked like was about to break down and start balling._

 _I immediately sat up and hugged her as hard as I could. I squeezed her so tight that I probably would've crushed any normal girl, but my strength was nowhere near hers so I figured she'd be fine. "It's okay," I whispered into her ear over and over again as I rubbed her back. I could feel a wetness appear on my shirt and knew that she was finally letting her emotions out. And I just sat there and let her cry, never once releasing my grip on her. And after a few minutes she calmed down and dried her tears._

" _Say you love me," she simply said._

 _I smiled at her. "I love you, Nodaka Nakatsukaze, so much that there's not enough stars in the sky to cover its amount. I will love you forever and ever."_

" _Promise?" she asked._

 _I brought my pinky up to her face, "Pinky swear?" She connected her pinky with mine and with that the agreement was set. "I, Akira Maita, promise to love Nodaka Nakatsukaze for as long as I shall live."_

 _She smiled and then replied, "I, Nodaka Nakatsukaze, promise to love the doofus known as Akira Maita for as long as I shall live."_

 _I chuckled and replied, "I'd rather be a doofus than a demon."_

 _She replied by practically breaking my pinky with her own. "What was that?"_

" _Ow, ow, ow, ow! Nothing! I didn't say anything!" I exclaimed in pain._

 _Nodaka released my pinky. "That's what I thought." She had this smug grin on her face so I knew I had to teach her a lesson._

 _I caught her by surprise and smashed my lips into hers. And that was our first kiss. Ten seconds passed and then we both leaned back. Nodaka's face was now as red as a tomato. "I-Idiot! What the hell was that?!" she exclaimed._

" _A proof of my love for the girl who drives me crazy both figuratively and literally," I replied innocently._

 _She pinched my cheeks so hard that I thought she would leave blisters on my face. "You think that's funny, do you?! How could you be so cruel?! My heart wasn't even prepared yet! You jerk! You're a colossal jerk!"_

" _Ow, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I murmured. Finally, Nodaka released my cheeks and I rubbed them furiously. "Geez, you've got to learn to lighten up."_

 _Nodaka sighed. "I know, sorry. And to tell you the truth," she looked away. "I really liked it."_

 _I smiled. "Okay then, I promise that when I come back here one day I'll give you another one just like that. 'Kay Noutaku?"_

" _That would sound a lot more meaningful if you wouldn't use that stupid nickname. I mean seriously why did I have go and teach you that word? It's not even clever, it's just a combination of it and my name," she said. Then she turned back to me and smiled. "But I would like that very much."_

" _It's a promise," I replied._

 _Then Nodaka suddenly stood up and shouted. "I can't take it anymore! I don't care how it makes me sound! I'm saying it! Hey Akira, when you come back here again let's really get married! We can have a big house and lots of kids and we'll be happy forever! Just promise me you'll come back!_ " she shouted at me.

 _I sweatdropped. "You don't have to be so dramatic, I was already planning to all that stuff with you."_

 _She calmed down a little and sat back down. "Sorry, I just couldn't hold it any longer. It's your fault for making me fall in love with you, you jerk. I never used to be this insecure until you came around."_

 _I chuckled again. "sorry, I guess." Then I laid my head back in her lap. "Hey Nodaka? Can you sing to me one last time?"_

 _Nodaka sighed. "I'm not your mom, you know that right? Why do you always want me to sing that song to you anyway? It was cute when were five but now it's just weird."_

" _I just like the way you sing it. That's why I always want to hear it," I replied._

 _She sighed again, "Fine. But this is the last time. Geez, why did I have to fall in love with such a troublesome boy?" she asked herself. Then after a few moments of silence she cleared her throat and began to stroke my hair again. The sun was setting now, and the nighttime sky was about to show. And then Nodaka began to sing._

" _Kirakira hikaru, osara no hoshi yo." This was our song; it was just one more thing that defined us. It was cheesy I know, but hey we fell in love with each other when we were little kids, give us a break._

" _Mabataki shite wa, minna o miteru." Every time she sung to me it was like hearing the voice of an angel, at least that's what I thought when I was young. I never told her that though for obvious reasons._

" _Kirakira hikaru, osara no hoshi yo." Every time I heard her sing, my heart would experience an incredible warmth. It was comforting, and peaceful, almost like it was telling me that everything was going to be alright._

If only the same could be said now. But all that mattered at that moment was that I had my best friend, and also my one true love, back in my arms.

Nodaka giggled as she wiped away the last of her tears. "You were always such a needy little brat."

"That would be the pot calling the kettle black, Noutaku," I replied.

She sighed. "Geez, you're never going to quit with that are you? Seriously, it's not even clever. Why bother?"

"Because you asked me too. I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm finally back. And I promise I'll never leave you alone again," I said. "And if you think that you can't trust your own memories then I'll help you find the truth in them. I know we can both remember our lives before all this if we just help each other. So what do you say Noutaku, are you still with me?"

She giggled again. "Dummy, I'm with you till the end. You know that."

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to tease you and make you say it," I replied.

Then she made a demeaning smirk. "But, forgiving you for abandoning me and forgiving you for kissing Ikusaba, those are two very different things. Expect a harsh punishment in your near future."

I gulped. "Umm, there wouldn't happen to be anyway I can make it up to you now to avoid punishment would there?"

Nodaka cocked her head to the side. "Hmm, maybe. That depends, what did you think of Ikusaba's kiss?"

"Umm, well it was nowhere near how it feels to kiss you," I replied.

"Oh, and how does that feel, I wonder?" Nodaka was loving this praise. Her ego had no limits.

"To be honest, it's like fireworks go off in my head," I replied with little dignity.

Nodaka giggled again. "Well then maybe if you had a second helping of that magic it would make you forget all about Ikusaba's cold, dead, fish lips," she said in a snarky tone. "Who knows? I might even forgive you if that first kiss is scrubbed from your memory."

I wasn't going to let her win though. "Oh for God sakes, if you want another one just ask!" I exclaimed and pulled her towards me, and then claimed her lips without hesitation. She was shocked at my sudden movements at first but soon she just accepted her fate and began to kiss me back. After that, I think it was a full minute before our lips parted.

Nodaka's face had gone completely red. "Wow, I think I know what you mean now. That was intense."

Then we heard someone cough to get our attention. We both turned to the classroom's doorway and saw that both Cam and Chihiro were standing outside gawking at us. Chihiro was flustered but Cam had a demeaning smile on his face, almost like he couldn't help himself from interrupting. Needless to say, both Nodaka and I froze in place from sheer embarrassment. "Umm, we were just coming to tell you that we couldn't find Hoshi-san. I hope we didn't interrupt anything," said Cam.

* * *

UD3 EXTRAS

* * *

Nodaka's nickname: Noutaku (Akira made it up for her as a combination of her name and the word for luster in Japanese, koutaku. But he uses the 'No-' part of her name to imply that she has no luster. Depending on the context it can also be roughly translated to otaku of things that shine, Nodaka liking stars fits this quality.)

Kirakira Boshi (Twinkle, twinkle little star)

きらきらひかる、Kirakira hikaru,

お空の星よ Osora no hoshi yo

まばたきしては Mabataki shite wa

みんあおみてる Minna o miteru

きらきらひかる、Kirakira hikaru,

おそらの星よう Osora no hoshi yo

* * *

A/N: And the main pairing has been officially established. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this sappy romance as much as I loved writing it.


	24. Chapter 1, Part 8

A/N: I know we haven't talked that much since part 4 of Chapter 1, so I thought I would make it up to you guys by talking your ears off in this part. I know you don't really care about what I have to say, no, you came here to read what I am excited to say is quickly becoming one of the highest rated Danganronpa fanfics ever, so as long as you guys keep giving me the support you have up till now I'll keep writing my heart out. Truth be told, writing about others' despair makes me forget about the despair of my own life, it's hard sometimes, you all should know this by now. Life is a bitch. But hey, look on the bright side, things could be worse. You could be trapped in an undisclosed location with total strangers by some madman who's controlling a highly advanced robotic teddy bear. At least you or I don't have to make that horrible decision that's coming soon for Akira and the others. What's it going to be? Kill to be free, or survive and wallow in despair? Unfortunately, I've already planned for it. I'm sorry but it has to happen for the story to progress.

Very soon, one of the characters you've gotten to know and love over the year is going to be murdered, and the person who did it must pay for their crimes with their life as well. That is the way of Danganronpa. Who's it going to be? Yasuke Matsuda? Mukuro Ikusaba? Nagito Komaeda? Chihiro Fujisaki? Or maybe it's someone who hasn't already died once before. The other Soshun Murasame? Micho Auruka? Azami Jagaimo? Beigoma Kiyoshi? Jonathan Junmaru? Nodaka Hoshi? Sawa Nanase? Jose Historia? Cam Yano? Connie Takemi? Aya Kisaragi? Keiko Akasaka? Nate Baron? Shiro Shirobane? Or maybe even Izuru Kamukura and Akira Maita? Probably not those two but still, for the sake of suspense. Believe it or not, one of these twenty characters has already decided that they're going to commit murder to escape, proving that all that talk about friendship before was just a load of self-serving crap. The truth is each student is in this all alone, you know the setup. Only by overcoming their friend's deaths can the few remaining students come together and fight despair. Now it's just a matter of weeding out the weak-willed ones who would rather betray a friend than fight beside them. Just to let you know this first chapter is a real doozy. I've hidden the identity of the killer so well that when I finally reveal who did it you are all going to be unbelievably shocked.

But until then let me show you the latest results of the free time poll:

Beigoma Kiyoshi – 5 votes

Azami Jagaimo – 5 votes

Nodaka Hoshi – 4 votes

Jose Historia – 4 votes

Izuru Kamukura – 2 votes

Sawa Nanase – 2 votes

Keiko Akasaka – 2 votes

Aya Kisaragi – 2 votes

Chihiro Fujisaki – 2 votes

Mukuro Ikusaba – 1 vote

Yasuke Matsuda – 1 vote

Jonathan Junmaru – 1 vote

Nate Baron – 1 vote

Soshun Murasame – 1 vote

Nagito Komaeda – 0 votes

Micho Auruka – 0 votes

Connie Takemi – 0 votes

Shiro Shirobane – 0 votes

Cam Yano – 0 votes

As you can see it's not that much different from three weeks ago. Looks like things have stagnated quite a bit. So I'm encouraging anyone who hasn't voted yet to please do so. And I guess that's all I have to say for now. So let's go ahead and get on with the story. And be sure to look out for certain details as I'm sure you'll need them for future reference.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 8: Trusting each other is hard to do**

* * *

I was too focused on Nodaka and escaping the academy with the others to be preoccupied with anything else at the moment. Get her, myself, and the others out of here safely. That was my only concern at the time. The Mastermind's game and Ultimate Despair's motives were put in the back of my mind for the time being, as was the fact that Cam and Chihiro paid witness to Nodaka and I's private moment. After a little bit of awkwardness Cam, Chihiro, and I filled in Nodaka on what we had to do to leave the academy. And it was no surprise to me that much like the others, Nodaka had solved the riddle in no time flat as soon as I told her about it, leaving me and Cam once again on the sidelines. I think at that point we were both feeling uneasy. And after feeling a quick twinge of panic I pushed my unease deep down inside me and told the other three that we had to go meet up with the others right away. So without a word the four of us headed back down the stairs to meet up with the others waiting below us. But then…* _crash_ *!

I collided hard with something at the base of the stairs, catching me off guard knocking me onto my back. I saw stars for a few seconds but after that I pulled myself together and felt up my forehead. A large bump had appeared and was swelling by the second. "Ouch," I twinged as I felt the bump. "Two times in one day, what are the odds?" I asked myself.

"Very unlucky I should say," I heard someone reply from below. Nagito was laid out on the floor beneath me, also rubbing a large bump on his forehead. "Though I can't complain. I'm pretty unlucky as well." I got up first and then pulled Nagito up with me.

"Komaeda-kun?" I replied in response.

"We've been over this already, haven't we? Just call me like you do Izuru-kun," said Nagito.

"Fine then, Nagito, we were just coming back to tell you guys we found Nodaka upstairs on the fifth floor," I said. "Why were you trying to climb up the stairs though?" I asked.

"Oddly enough to retrieve you," Nagito replied with his usual care-free smile. "So maybe there is some good luck mixed in there as well. I wonder, does that mean I'm truly lucky or not?" Nagito asked rhetorically.

"To get me?" I asked. "What for?" Then at that moment Nodaka, Chihiro, and Cam reached the bottom of the stairs and met up with me and Nagito.

Nodaka's eyes were immediately drawn to the bump on my head. "Geez, I can't leave you alone for a minute can I?" Nodaka pressed her hand to the bump, which made me twinge in pain in reply.

"Ugh!" I exclaimed.

Nodaka looked concerned. "That looks really bad. What did you run into? A brick wall?" she asked.

"More or less," Nagito replied. "I'm as about as useful as a brick after all. But then again bricks are useful materials for buildings, aren't they? So maybe a rock would be a better metaphor. What's more useless than a rock after all?" Nagito was back to condescending himself again.

"Would you give your masochism a rest already?" Cam asked. "You're bumming me out, you know."

"Sorry, I can't help it, it's one of my many nasty habits," said Nagito.

"Your parents put you in a cage for misbehaving when you were younger didn't they?" Cam asked.

Nagito looked surprised. "Why do you ask? Didn't your parents do the same?"

"Whoa, seriously?! I was kidding! That's just horrible!" Cam exclaimed.

"That's only a tiny bit of the abuse they gave me," said Nagito. "I come from a prestigious family you see so I've had it drilled into me by my parents from the very day I was born that I was nothing but trash to them. I had no talent, no academic excellence, or even anything that made me unique besides a rare disease or two. My parents used to tell me time and time again that I was a mistake and that I didn't have any reason whatsoever to keep breathing the same air as them. I know I'm scum, I've known my whole life."

"Your parents sound awful," said Chihiro.

"Oh believe me there were. And even if I knew I was trash, being called as such by my own parents hurt worse than you could ever imagine. I despised them so much that I wished on almost a daily basis that they would just die and rot in hell for all eternity. And you know what happened? My wish came true," he said in a dark tone.

A chill ran up my spine. "Don't tell me. Did you kill your parents?"

Nagito smiled. "In a way, yes. But it wasn't me, they were killed when we went on vacation together a few years back. We chartered a private jet, which ended up getting hijacked, and in the process the hijacker killed my mother and father. He was close to killing me too but my luck wouldn't have it. So a meteor ended up striking the jet and killing the hijacker in a glorious blaze of flames, and sending the jet down to the earth. Which left me, the sole survivor, stranded and alone, but alive none the less. Don't you see? I wanted them to die so my luck made it happen."

"But how can that even be possible?" I asked.

"My family has always been blessed with unnatural luck. Things come so easy to us that it's almost ridiculous. That's why the Komaeda clan were so wealthy and powerful. If I'm not mistaken, my great grandfather was actually one of the first benefactors of this school," Nagito explained. "So most of my family have been alum here as well. But I was the only one who didn't get in through the regular channels because I had no talent besides the natural Komaeda luck, so instead I was granted another opportunity to enroll by winning the lottery for the Ultimate Lucky Student." Nagito sighed. "So as you can see, I never know what my luck will do next. It can be either good or bad, depending on the situation. It's incredibly hard to predict so I'm in the dark most of the time, which is why I never try and get my hopes up too high about anything and instead relish in the hope created by those who surround me. Hope is a truly wonderful thing, that can make even the darkest day shine bright. But I think that's enough about me for now, we're kind of getting off topic. The story of Nagito Komaeda will have to wait till next time I'm afraid, even though it makes me so happy that you want to hear my origin story even though I'm absolute scum. You guys must really care about me, eh?"

"Not really," Nodaka replied. "It's just that anytime someone pays you the slightest bit of attention you dig too deep into it because mommy and daddy didn't love you enough. Boo-freaking-hoo, get over it."

"Nodaka!" I exclaimed in a stern manner.

She looked to the floor and sighed. "Sorry, I took it too far, didn't I?"

"No need to be so stern Akira-kun, she's right. I should get over it. The fact of the matter is I don't care about my parents at all. In fact, I don't think I did even before they died. They were greedy, selfish, and rotten. They got what they deserved. I'm still alive and they're not, what does that tell you? They convinced me for years that I was worthless and after a while I just learned to accept it. I am who I am today because of them, plus a little something else which I'll tell you about later on. But anyway, the reason I wanted to come get you Akira-kun is because while we didn't find Nodaka-ch…" sensing Nodaka glaring daggers into him he quickly rephrased, "Nodaka-san, I mean, Jose-kun, Izuru-kun and I did find something else just as interesting. Izuru-kun told me to come and get you so you could see for yourself. He said that you of all people would want to see this."

"Okay then, lead the way," I said.

"Um, actually he requested that I bring only you, I'm afraid the others can't tag along, sorry," said Nagito.

"What?! Who the hell does that skinny, chicken shit Kamukura think he is ordering us around?! I oughta strangle his condescending throat and ram a stick up his…!" Nodaka was throwing another temper tantrum. I swear to God, she acted like such a brat sometimes.

"Nodaka!" I exclaimed again.

Nodaka sighed again. "Temper, temper, I know, I know. Sorry, it just comes out sometimes. You know, I'm a hothead. Always have been, always will be." She looked crestfallen. "But I know that's no excuse. You think after all this time I would have better control of my emotions, right? But I'm just as ill-tempered as ever. Sometimes I wonder how you ever managed to put up with me."

I rested my hands on her shoulders, and made her look me in the eyes. "It's okay. If Izuru wants to show me something than it must be important. It might be about my missing memories or even a clue to the identity of the Mastermind. He probably just doesn't want to get anyone else's hopes up on the off chance that it doesn't pan out. But if it is something important then I'll tell you later when I get the chance, okay? So can you do me a favor and go get the others and head to the entrance hall?" I asked her.

She sighed again. "Dummy, you know I can't say no to you." She playfully punched me. "Fine, I'll go on ahead. Just don't take too long okay? I don't want to be apart from you for a second longer," she said with a gentle smile and a light red blush.

"I'll be quick, I swear," I promised her.

She nodded her head and then motioned for Chihiro and Cam to follow her. "Come on you two, let's go get the others." Nodaka ran off towards the third floor staircase while Cam and Chihiro straggled behind her.

"Um, am I missing something here?" Nagito asked.

"Long story," Cam said as he quickly sped off in Nagito's direction.

"It's kind of embarrassing but very sweet," Chihiro added as she followed after Cam.

Nagito looked back in my direction and chuckled. "So the tsundere with serious anger issues is your choice, eh?" Nagito asked. "The other girls you've raised flags with might be disappointed though." Nagito said as he started walking down the hallway.

"It's not like that. It's a really long story, okay?" I replied as I caught up to him.

"Well then you're going to have to tell it to me someday, that is if you want to hear the rest of my story," said Nagito.

"Sure, why not?" I replied. "We're friends aren't we?"

Nagito smiled one of the biggest smiles I had ever seen before. And he suddenly grabbed ahold of my hands. "We're really, truly friends, Akira-kun?"

I sweatdropped from his overreaction. "Sure why not?" I replied. "You're an off guy, but not a bad guy, even if you pretend you are. I can tell you're the same as me deep down, you just want to prove yourself. You believe that if you have hope then anything is possible, just like me. And to that extent, you admire hope even more than I do. And I believe that someone who cares so deeply about hope can't possibly be trash or scum as they so brazenly put it. You're definitely odd sure, but then again is anyone at this crazy school completely normal?"

"Hmm, point taken," Nagito replied with a pensive look. "I guess if you think about it in terms of weirdness and absurdity I do fit right in with the other Ultimates." He smiled again. "But that doesn't mean I think my talent is any less worthless."

I sighed. "Well that's a start I guess. Hopefully, by the end of this I can get you to be a little more positive though."

He chuckled. "You have your work cut out for you then." Nagito's smile grew and he began to blush. "Hope is a truly beautiful thing isn't it, Akira-kun? Just when you think it's reached its limit it can surprise you over and over again. Your hope is just like that of the others, it has nothing but surprises for me. I truly want to see how you and the others progress through this despair. I want to see your hopes shine as bright as possible. So won't you join me as a fellow worthless individual on a quest to see how much the others' hopes can truly shine?" he asked in a weird way.

"Um, sure I guess?" I replied.

"Splendid, this truly is the start of a great friendship. Two nobodies, one with a worthless talent, one with no talent, brought together in the dregs of despair and destined to be united through teamwork and friendship for all eternity!"

"…" man this guy was weird.

"Hmm, you know if this were a different version of one of those dating sim games, this might be the moment where the protagonist realizes that the one who he has declared as his friend is really in fact meant to be his soul mate instead." Nagito leaned in closer and I leaned my head backwards in reply. "That genre is actually even more popular than the norm, believe it or not. I even have this strange feeling that I have had this same scenario before with another talentless person. If I'm not mistaken our pairing was a fan favorite and lots of doujinshi were written on us." He chuckled again. "But that's probably just my imagination overreacting again. After all, the only one I have eyes for right now is you, A-ki-ra-kun ~," he said my name in a sing-song voice.

"Um, no thanks. I don't really roll like that," I said in an awkward tone.

Nagito immediately let go of my hands and beamed at me. "Worth a shot, right? Can't keep a guy from dreaming," he said with a chuckle.

I shivered in disgust. "What have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself as I followed after Nagito. Yes, I remember that day well, the day where I truly learned what ran through Nagito Komaeda's mind. I only wish that I had trusted my gut feeling from the beginning and stayed far away from him. Nagito may not have been a bad guy at heart, but he was definitely dangerous. And when dangerous people have a warped version of reality then bad things start to happen to good people. Nagito Komaeda was a ticking time bomb, and I had just unknowingly lit his fuse.

* * *

DAYTIME, 4:30 PM

I followed Nagito all the way down the hall and then stopped with him when we had reached our meeting place. A lone room that simply said _Video Recording Room_ on the nameplate. Nagito opened the door and then motioned for me to go in first. "After you," he said politely.

With a little hesitation, I entered the room and was greeted by the sight of many computers and monitors. There were many flashing lights, and endless electronic buzzing and whirring. And at the far end of the room I saw a series of monitors showing different parts of the academy on them. Those monitors no doubt corresponded with the locations of the many security cameras around the school. And at the very back end of the wall there was a door leading into another room, but what really caught me was what the door looked like. Monokuma. Monokuma's face was printed on the door. I heard Nagito shut the door behind me as he came into the room, and then he called out to Jose and Izuru who were at the back of the room. Izuru was stooped over a computer console and appeared to be immersed with endless typing, and Jose just stood over Izuru and appeared to be copying down everything he saw on Izuru's computer to his journal for future reference. "Hey guys, I brought Maita-kun. So how do you want to break the news to him?"

Jose turned to us. "Hold on a second. Kamukura-san almost has it."

Izuru shook his head. "Correction, I now have it. The Mastermind's personal files are now ours."

"Wow, it only took you a few minutes to crack the Mastermind's encryption?" Nagito replied. "I guess we're lucky that you have Chihiro-chan's talent, eh?"

"Not your luck, my luck. I have your talent too, remember?" Izuru replied as he finished typing at the computer. "Now as for Maita-kun, what we have to show him can wait until after. For now, let's see what secrets the Mastermind has hidden in his mainframe." Izuru motioned for Nagito and I to come over to him. So we and Jose scrunched around Izuru to see exactly what he had found in his search. "The Mastermind's encryption was almost too easy to break…well easy for me at least. Anyway, that leads me to believe that they intended for us to find whatever they have hidden on here. So odds are it's going to raise more questions than answer them." Izuru typed a command into the computer and soon a file selection screen popped up. The screen contained two files, one named _Despair_BlackList_ and the other _YourMemories_beforeDespair_. "Just like I thought, all that work for only two files. They wanted us to find this for sure."

"Well open them just in case, and I'll record anything important," said Jose.

"Your obsession with writing everything down is absurd," said Izuru. "You could've focused your abilities into helping me search through the database for clues instead of writing anything worthwhile down. It's not like any of us are going to forget the things we find. The better the secret, the easier it is to keep."

"I told you I'm really bad with computers, I would've been no help to you that way. At least this way I'm keeping busy. And for the record, digital information will never trump that of ink and paper. Never doubt that," Jose replied.

"Whatever you say. Now, let's see what the Mastermind wants us to see shall we?" Izuru clicked on the first file, _Despair_BlackList_. And inside the file there were many varying candid photos of several people. Several of them we recognized. Junko Enoshima, Makoto Naegi, Hajime Hinata, Chiaki Nanami…and it went on, and on, and on. Every Ultimate student that had been suspects for our murder case before and even beyond that. Pretty much anyone who was ever affiliated with Hope's Peak Academy, be it a benefactor, a teacher, an Ultimate student, or even a Reserve Department student. They were all on the list. And for most of them a large red X was marked out over their picture. There was no doubt about it, this was a hit list. "Hmm, no wonder the memory data for this file was so large. There's hundreds of people listed here. The Mastermind must deem a large number of people responsible for what's been done to them."

"Wow, you think Junko-chan would be the only person that the Mastermind would want revenge on for turning them into an Ultimate Despair, but instead they blame everyone but their self," said Nagito.

"She's definitely at the top of the Mastermind's list, but it doesn't seem to be ranked upon order of hate. Which means the Mastermind must see all people as equal in deserving blame. In their eyes all these people are guilty in one way or another." Izuru scrolled through the photos and stopped when he saw a shocking sight. "Recognize these fine young gentlemen?"

I was just as shocked as him when I saw what he meant. I was on the list as well; it was a candid photo taken of me riding the train to school in my Reserve Department uniform. There was one of Nagito as well, which was taken when he was buying a drink at a vending machine. He was dressed just like a normal student so it was kind of had to recognize him at first. And one of Jose, which was taken while he was reading a book in the library. And even one of Izuru, which was taken in a dimly-lit room that had nothing inside of it but a cot. Izuru was sitting up on the cot and appeared to be thinking as he gave the camera taking his picture a thousand-yard stare. "I was wondering who took that photo of me all those years ago. The only one who came for unscheduled visits was Junko so I assumed it had been her, but I never saw that person's face, just the camera. The camera I remember as clear as day."

"Even us?" I asked in disbelief. "The Mastermind wants to punish us too?"

"That must be the reason he's making us play this mutual killing game. That's our punishment," said Jose.

"I can't believe I never noticed I had a stalker before. I feel so honored," said Nagito.

"Of course you do," Jose replied.

"In order to get this close to each of us, the Mastermind had to have been someone in all of our lives who none of us noticed being nearby. This kind of stalker is always someone who casts no shadow, a person whose very pretense is masked due to the fact that they are so ordinary. Hmm…" Izuru thought about it for a moment. Then he sighed. "I guess there's nothing we can gather from this at this point in time. Let's see if the others are on here as well." And then we found each and every one of our friends, one by one. Nodaka Hoshi. Micho Auruka. Jonathan Junmaru. Cam Yano. Chihiro Fujisaki. Yasuke Matsuda. Nate Baron. Aya Kisaragi. Shiro Shirobane. Beigoma Kiyoshi. Sawa Nanase. Connie Takemi. Keiko Akasaka. Soshun Murasame. Azami Jagaimo. And Mukuro Ikusaba. The Mastermind wanted revenge on all twenty of us.

"They must've been planning this even before Junko Enoshima revealed herself as the Ultimate Despair," said Jose. "The amount of planning this would have to take is enormous. I wouldn't even be surprised if we were taken by Ultimate Despair purely on the Mastermind's recommendation. Which would mean everything that's happened so far has gone according to their plan." Jose scoffed, "They weren't lying, this is their game, not Junko's. Great, we're out of the frying pan but now we're heading straight into the fire."

"It appears so, yes," Izuru replied. "But there's something else too, didn't you guys notice? I won't blame you if you didn't, after all we didn't go through everyone on this list anyway."

"Why, what else is there?" I asked.

Izuru smirked and then fiddled with the computer for a few seconds. Then all twenty of our candid photos appeared solely on the screen. "One of these kids is not like the other, …~" he said in a sing-song voice, "one of these kids is twins." After that he fiddled with the computer again until only one photo remained. When he said twins I was half-expecting him to bring Mukuro to our attention but instead he brought someone else entirely. Soshun Murasame. The Mastermind appeared to be catching a shot of Soshun taking a nap on his desk. He was in such a deep sleep that I thought I even saw drool coming out of his mouth. Then Izuru fiddled with the computer again and pulled up a photo of a different boy. This boy was of average height and had pale blue eyes and medium length brown hair. The unknown boy's candid photo showed him conversing with a bunch of other students at a large table in a classroom. I wondered why Izuru had shown us this boy at first but then I saw plain as day. For each Hope's Peak Academy student that was listed in the Mastermind's blacklist there was a candid photo of them along with their name, title, and personal information. Soshun's information read _Soshun Murasame, Ultimate Student Council President_ , which wasn't a surprise. And the unknown boy's information read _Soshun Murasame, Ultimate Student Council President_. Besides the boys in each photo, the information was identical. There were two Soshun Murasames.

"Did not see that one coming," said Jose.

"It looks like our DID friend has some serious explaining to do. He's obviously the most likely candidate for the traitor now, whoever he really is. But then again I could be wrong, maybe the other boy is an imposter instead. Which one do you think is the real Soshun Murasame, Jose-kun?" Nagito asked.

"Which one looks and acts like an actual Student Council President?" Jose asked Nagito. "It's obvious who the real one is, especially since that other guy's story has been shaky from the start. And on top of that he's got DID just like a certain psychopath we've all had the pleasure of meeting…sort of. But the real problem is that one of the Soshuns is already dead, according to the X over his photo. So that begs the question, who is our imposter and why is he claiming to be a dead man?"

"We haven't even been able to confirm if there is a traitor yet," said Izuru. "But you have to admit it that there is a suspicious air about him. I think it would be best if we keep our eyes on him. So that makes two people we have to be wary of now…well three if you count Komaeda-kun."

"I'm always happy to be included," said Nagito.

"Wait, Nagito and Murasame-kun I get, but who's the third person?" I asked.

"Do you really have to ask? Nodaka Hoshi of course. Or should I say Nodaka Nakatsukaze? That is her real name correct?" Izuru asked.

"What why Nodaka?!" I exclaimed in anger. "She wants to get out of this place more than any of us, no way it's her!"

"And how do you know that isn't just ploy to deceive you? Face the facts, she's probably the most suspicious person here. She claims to be a former member of the Kuzuryuu clan and even their eldest daughter's best friend, yet she got her name wrong. I believe she said her name was Hitomi Kuzuryuu correct?" To make a point Izuru entered her name in the search bar on the Mastermind's computer and pulled up a candid photo of her that popped up as well. "But look what it says here." I read the information that popped up with the girl's photo in silent discontent.

 _Name:_ _Natsumi Kuzuryuu_

 _Personal Information:_ _Eldest daughter of the main branch of the Kuzuryuu clan, and younger sister to Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza. And although her brother is quick to show his own strength rather than that of his family, the same cannot be said for her. When she was alive she constantly flaunted her superiority to others to the point where she pissed off anyone who got to know her._

 _Hope's Peak Academy title:_ _None. In her time affiliated with the academy she was nothing but a worthless Reserve Department course student. Though she claimed one day she would stand by her elder brother's side at the main school and take the title of Ultimate Little Sister, her wings were clipped by bloody murder before she could achieve that goal._

 _Reason I hate her:_ _She took everything for granted and then would wine about how nobody seemed to like her or accept her, completely oblivious to the fact that her rotten attitude was the cause of all her problems. She was spoiled rotten to a fault and even tried to get into the main school by pressuring one of the current students there to drop out so she could replace them. If you ask me she got what she deserved in the end._

 _But the biggest reason why I hate Natsumi Kuzuryuu is because her death was one of the triggers that sparked the downfall of hope and ushered in the era of despair. That is unforgiveable._

"I think it sums it up pretty clearly doesn't it?" Izuru asked. "Not one word spoken of any helpful maid or friend, Kuzuryuu-chan was one of those people who thought everyone was below them. It's doubtful anyone like that had any friends."

"Togami-san can attest to that," said Jose.

"And probably the biggest thing, her name. Natsumi, not Hitomi. While both names have "-mi" in them I'm pretty sure the beginnings are very different," said Izuru.

"But she told me all this before. She doesn't know why she got Kuzuryuu-san's name wrong before. Ever since she heard Fuyuhikokuma talking in the class trial she hasn't been herself. She even said that since then she hasn't been able to remember anything specific about her time in the Kuzuryuu clan. I think she's got amnesia just like me, and Ultimate Despair gave her fake memories to make everyone doubt her claims. Don't you see, they want us to suspect her?" I was doing my best to try and make sense out of this whole senseless situation. "Even she thought she was the traitor for a while." My heart ached, remembering how close she came to taking her own life. If it came to that I don't think I would have ever been able to forgive myself for not being there for her. I'd be damned if I wasn't sticking up for her this time. "She's not the traitor. She's not, she would never."

"That's assuming there is a traitor, Akira-kun. You said so yourself. The Mastermind is most likely lying to break our trust, and we're just playing into their hands," said Nagito.

"That may very well be the case. But nonetheless Nodaka Nakatsukaze still remains very suspicious. If you don't believe me, then how else would you explain this." Izuru typed another command into the computer and Nodaka's photo reappeared on screen. In her photo she was shown wearing her usual maid outfit somewhere out in the city. The phot was too focused on her for any other specific details to be gathered. Izuru clicked on the photo and brought up Nodaka's information. And I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't know how I could've overlooked it before, maybe I just didn't want to believe it but it was hard to ignore now with it staring right in front of my face.

 _Name:_ _Nodaka Nakatsukaze/Hoshi_

 _Personal Information:_ _Unknown_

 _Hope's Peak Academy title:_ _Unknown_

 _Reason I hate her:_ _Unknown_

"She's practically a ghost. And I'm assuming that Ultimate Maid isn't her real title, if she even has one that is. There's no information at all except for her name. It was the same with her school profile," Izuru explained.

"What?" I replied in confusion.

"Her profile was just like this. No details at all, it was almost as empty as the Ultimate Imposter's profile. I would've let you read it for yourself but if you'll recall Komaeda-kun went and burned the only copy," said Izuru.

"Trust me Akira-kun. You're better off not reading it, seeing the blank page would've just made you even more depressed than you are now."

I sighed. "Was this the reason why you wanted me to come here alone? So you could convince me to stay away from her?"

"No, just as a friendly warning," said Izuru. "Frankly I don't believe she's dangerous. I think she's innocent too, all I'm saying is that if the others find out about this they may not be as trusting. I'm just telling you this in advance so you can be wary of what may come to pass. I didn't expect to find this information on here, but it helped me prove my point. The real thing I wanted to show you is behind that door over there," Izuru said motioning to the Monokuma door.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let me just see it already so we can leave," I said. I didn't want to be here any longer. I wanted to get back to Nodaka. I just needed to be by her side right now or else I thought I was going to snap.

"Patience, we have still one more file to look through," Izuru said as he exited out of the current directory and began to enter the next folder, _YourMemories_beforeDespair_. Only to be blocked with password lock.

Izuru sighed. "Should've known it wasn't going to be that easy. But the Mastermind knows who they're messing with otherwise they wouldn't have allowed us to see this information in the first place. It's just another test of my abilities. Honestly, I thought I was done with these endless games when all my teachers were killed but to think someone even worse would come and replace them. At least the Mastermind's not boring though." Izuru cracked his fingers. "Komaeda-kun, Historia-kun, why don't you take Maita-kun to the back room now. I'll deal with this pesky password and have this file unlocked before you come back."

"Can do," Nagito replied. "Come on Akira-kun, you need to see this. The craziness of it all is literally too much to pass up." Nagito motioned for me to follow him and Jose to the Monokuma door.

Jose pulled out a small key, which actually looked more like a flash drive, from his coat pocket and then inserted it into the Monokuma door's lock. "Where did you find that?" I asked.

"It was just sitting on one of the desks when we got here. We figured that the Mastermind left it behind intentionally so we could see the center of their operations," Jose replied. With a loud * _click_ * the door opened and the three of us stepped inside a small room with even more electronics than the one before it. But that wasn't what first caught my attention. No, that would have to have been the thousands of photos and newspaper clippings that lined the walls of the small room. Everything besides the large computer at the very back of the room was covered in a multitude of clutter and disarray. The photos and newspaper clippings that lined the walls showed horrible things. Serial murders, tragic terrorist bombings, rape, torture, and endless violence. It was enough to make you want to vomit. I desperately struggled to keep what little innocence I had left from being shattered. But as I soaked up all the darkness and despair in the room I began to see a method to the madness. Everything that the Mastermind had pinned or taped to the walls was constructed in a meticulous order of several distinct clusters, and each cluster had a single index card in the middle of them. The index cards appeared to have names on them, but they weren't regular names, from their uniqueness I guessed that they were code names of some sort.

"Say hello to aftermath of what the newspapers refer to as the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. Ultimate Despair's legacy to the world. You noticed them too, right?" Jose asked. "I think what we're seeing here is all of the Ultimate Despairs' handiwork. It looks like they've been really busy while Junko Enoshima remained locked inside Hope's Peak Academy. And all the disgusting things they've done, I think it's safe to say that they're just as bad, if not worse than her."

"How many members are there?" I asked.

"Well I count fourteen index cards here. But there's no way that's all there is to Ultimate Despair. These are probably just the key members, Junko Enoshima's original Ultimate Despairs. The Mastermind must have been studying up on every single crime they've committed in the name of despair. And I'll tell you something, after seeing all of this, I can't blame the Mastermind for wanting to punish these monsters so severely. If I was turned into one of them, I might've ended up just like the Mastermind. Forced to do evil, but plotting to bring justice upon the wicked." I could sense the power in Jose's words. He must've truly been appalled.

"And we're somehow involved in their revenge. Do you think it's because some of us may be Ultimate Despairs as well?" I asked.

"I can't say the same for you and the others, but it's definitely the case for me. A whole cluster of obsession is dedicated to me right on the back of the door," said Nagito. Following Nagito's words, I turned around and saw a giant cluster of photos and newspaper clippings detailing the events of several horrible bombings all over Japan that resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The bomber's patterns were very distinct, as it appeared that he carved a message with the firepower of his bombs into each and every location he struck. _Where ever there is despair, always remember that hope is just around the corner._ My eyes widened when I spotted the index card in the center of the cluster and saw the nickname sloppily written down on it. _The Hopeful Harbinger of Death_. A chill ran up my spine as I turned around to face Nagito.

"I told you, I'm a bad person. I've sinned greatly because of Junko-chan and Ultimate Despair. But you must understand. I wanted for hope to destroy her and everything she stood for, that was the only reason I agreed to our arrangement at first. I thought we had come to an understanding, but she soon betrayed me and brainwashed me like all the others. But I guess I had it coming, after all I was the one who pulled a gun on her. After seeing what she was about to do I had a crisis of faith and decided to stop her plans before they could officially begin, but that was when my luck ran out. I was stopped before I had the chance to finish her off, and because of my betrayal Junko-chan forced me to be brainwashed like all the others so she could have complete control of me. I was a puppet just like the others, and Junko-chan was my puppet master. Silently pulling the strings from the shadows while we became the face of her revolution. The Ultimate Despairs, that's what we were called. And now a lot of time has passed since then. I can't even imagine the things that others have been up to since I've been away with Izuru-kun."

"So you did all of this while you were still under the effects of Junko's brainwashing?" I asked. "And her hold over you is gone now, right?"

Nagito chuckled. "If you're asking if I'm going to murder you all just like I've done to so many others, fret not. I am no longer under her spell, Junko-chan had it broken when she arranged for me to be paired together with Izuru-kun. I'm just like I was before Junko-chan brainwashed me all those years ago. You don't have to worry about me losing control."

"He's telling the truth. I've already vetted him," said Jose.

"…" I stared at Jose in confusion.

"Don't worry, he's stable…for now at least. According to him, he's been broken like this long before Junko Enoshima crossed his path. And after all the things he's said and done today I deign to believe him," Jose explained.

Nagito frowned and looked at the floor. "I know that I can never truly be forgiven for my past sins. Whether I was under Junko-chan's control or not, I still did horrible, unforgivable things." Nagito outstretched his mitted hands. "Do you want to know why I wear these ugly things?" he asked.

"…" I didn't utter a reply but he began to explain anyway.

"Well it's partially because these were the only things available to me at the time, I asked to have something that would cover up my hands and said anything would do, and these were what was provided. But the main reason is because every time I even look at my hands all I can see is blood. They're caked in it; the red color appears to be almost fused together with the skin. And no matter how hard I scrub them, I can never get it off. I've been marked as a killer, as a true monster. They will never be clean because I have already been blackened. I'm impure, a sinner, a murderer. And no matter what I do for the rest of my life, I will never be able to atone for the things I have done. I know it's just all in my head but still…I dare not look upon my hands. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll unleash the monster inside me once again. And that's the reason why I where these old, ratty things all the time. Stupid, I know, but for me it's almost like a security blanket. As long as I where these I feel safe. As long as I can't see the blood, the nightmares aren't as bad." Nagito balled up his mitted hands into fists. "But still I wish for the day when I can be released from my sins, and separate these devil hands from the rest of my body. As long as I have them, I am still just the devil's pawn. They're a sign of our connection. And the devil is dead now, so that connection is no longer needed."

There were a few minutes of quiet before Nagito spoke up again. "Well then, if you'll excuse me I think I should go check on Izuru-kun's progress. He can get bored with an assignment very easily so I have to do my part to keep him in line from time to time. I'll let you know when he's cracked the password." I could tell that it was just an excuse. What Nagito really needed right now was a moment alone. So he left the small room, leaving Jose and I alone amongst the recorded chaos that Ultimate Despair had reveled in over the years.

"Do you think he's really serious about wanting to atone for what he did?" I asked Jose. "You said it yourself based on what he told you, he's always been like this. Broken beyond repair."

"I don't know. All I know is that he loves hope far more than despair. I think if given the chance he would kill himself if it was to keep despair from returning to the world. So for now I think we can trust him. But just remember at the end of the day the kind of people we're dealing with. They may have been brainwashed by Junko Enoshima and forced to do her bidding but you should also keep in mind that on some level they must have wanted to destroy the world," said Jose.

I was confused. "What do you mean? If they were brainwashed than they weren't in control of their own actions, right? They couldn't help it."

Jose looked at me with contempt. "What do you think it means to brainwash someone? Do you think that a person who is brainwashed doesn't have any choice but to go along with their master's wishes? No, that's just a myth. The fact of the matter is that your brain is your own, no one else can control it besides you. We're always in control of each action we take and decision we make, that's the very definition of free will. Brainwashing is just a suggestion to the brain introduced by a third party. There are many different ways to brainwash someone; hypnosis, peer group pressure, metacommunication, disinhibition, verbal abuse, sleep deprivation and induced fatigue, isolation, controlled approval, and even with the use of guilt or fear. You'd be surprised how many techniques of brainwashing there are and how often it appears in the real world. Don't believe me? What about a school dress code? Why do you think the schools enforce that? It's an effort to eradicate any sense of individuality so students won't be so focused on who's dressed better and focus more on their studies. That in itself is brainwashing. Or what about cults? How do they attract so many followers? It's through their repetitiveness of chants and rituals and sometimes even depreciation of their follower's self-worth in order to make them codependent to them. They're some of the top practitioners of brainwashing. Need another example, how about this game we're playing right now?"

"What?" I was still so confused.

"Think about it this way. Junko Enoshima and the Mastermind's whole purpose in us solving Hajime Hinata's murder was in an effort to get us to trust one another and work together to overcome the impossible. And they promised us that if we didn't do so we would all be executed. A game with obscure rules that gives the players with no other options besides working together just like their captor's want. Isn't that brainwashing too?"

"But this is totally different. We came together to stop Ultimate Despair not play this dumb game," I tried to implore but it fell on deaf ears.

"We came together because it was the best option possible. You may not want to admit it but we were brainwashed by Ultimate Despair before we even began. I don't know if they used any other methods on us during our seven-year gap, but they brainwashed us that much at least," Jose explained. "We are pawns in their game, like it or not that is our lot in life now."

"But by that logic, you could say that brainwashing is natural. It's almost like you're saying that every choice we make is already predetermined. How is that free will?" I asked.

"Human beings are weak and fragile creatures. Though we are capable of making decisions on our own we often choose the path of least restraint. Because it's our design flaw. We don't want to fight; we don't want to have to lose anything in order to gain something. We're selfish and greedy to a fault. We hurt each other constantly through war and struggle because we are weak and misguided. When I look at other people all I can see is the darkness in their hearts. And I've always been that way ever since I was a child," Jose explained.

He stared off into space for a moment and then sighed. "I was orphaned at a very young age. My parents abandoned me, and I had no memory of them or their names for that matter. In the beginning I was like a blank slate. I didn't have any connection to who I was or where I came from. As you could imagine it was hard living like that at first, but after a while I just had to get used the fact that I would never know who I really was. And that was when I became Jose Historia. Jose's not even my real name, I just chose it for myself based on an author that I liked. You could say books were my only friends when I was growing up. All I would ever do is read and fantasize about what it would be like to become the character of whatever I was reading, and growing up where I lived all you ever wanted to do was escape reality. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of those lucky kids who get adopted and go off and live with a nice, happy family. All the adults were creeped out by me since I never seemed to talk willingly and would always have my nose buried in a book. But that was fine, I preferred being alone. Jose Historia was just who I was to the real world, whenever I read a new book I could just become someone else and start over again."

"And my favorite books to read were mystery novels. I enjoyed pretending to be the detective and trying to solve the case myself before I could officially read whodunit. I've never once been wrong about a character's true intentions. I noticed that each time I read a mystery novel I could see the character's personality based on the subtle giveaways by the author, and each time my suspicions paid off and I figured out who the killer was before the detective even started to investigate. For a while I thought about being a detective myself one day, but soon I realized that while I liked solving the puzzles and figuring out the identity of the killer, what I really loved overall was the story. What makes a person kill? I loved figuring that out the most. There are about as many different motives to kill someone as there are people on this planet. And I guess I was just fascinated with the story surrounding each killer."

"But why?" I asked.

Jose frowned. "Because I never understood it. It was the one piece of each mystery novel that I could never figure out no matter how much I tried. The motive seems fine on ink and paper but when it comes down to the act, I just don't get it. There are as many reasons not to kill someone as there are motives to kill. And yet in each book people still died. Murdered time and time again. Some sophisticated and intricate, others gruesome and bloody. And it horrified me. It horrified me learning that this happened in real life too. Even though there are consequences and even if it haunts the killer for the rest of their natural lives, they still choose to commit murder. And that's when I began to see the weakness in humanity, the sheer stupidity and cowardice that can drive people to murder. I guess you could say that I had a higher moral ground than most people did, but the truth is I was just repulsed by the idea of ever taking another life. All life is sacred, that's what I believe. Though there are some people who deserved to be tucked away into a dark little corner and rot away as punishment for their crimes I don't believe that their death is justice for the death of others. In a perfect world we would all live long and happy lives until the day we died a natural death, but because of our weakness that can never happen. So one day I vowed to myself that I would never, ever become like the rest of humanity, and if that meant separating myself from everyone then so be it. I was alone in the world anyway." Jose sighed, "And that's why I can never truly trust or forgive Komaeda-san, or Kamukura-san, or even Ikusaba-san. They've done horrible things and committed what I consider to be the ultimate taboo. They're just part of that perverted and weak humanity that I've tried so hard to be rid of."

"Not everyone is like that. There are some good people out there, you just have to willing to look past the bad and search for the good. You've got to have hope and trust in others," I replied.

"I didn't say I never trusted others. There was this one kid I knew growing up, he attended a school that was close to my orphanage so I often saw him. He was horribly bulled every day, but all the while he kept his spirits up and didn't let the other kids get him down, and all he ever did was forgive the others and hope that one day they would accept him. To me he seemed like the ideal person, the kind of person we should all aspire to be. But I never got the chance to tell him that. There were other good people, sure but none of them ever stuck with me as much as that kid did. You must think I'm an awful person, having such little faith in others. I mean I've been classmates with Yano-san for a long time and I barely even trust him. As for the others, I might not ever be able to truly trust them, especially considering the situation we're in right now."

I shook my head. "I don't think you're a bad person. Considering your situation, I think it's fine to be a little mistrusting of others. But you've always got to remember that deep down everyone is like you. The last thing they want to do is hurt others. Sometimes people snap and bad things happen, other times a bad person who can't be fixed works their way into the folds, just like what happened to Nagito and the others. Maybe you're right, maybe they did want to do these horrible things on some level. But I bet the rest of their will power was used trying to resist the horrible things that Junko Enoshima planted in their minds. What matters now is that we have to trust each other for better or for worse. We're never going to get out of here otherwise. You're amazingly smart Historia-kun, I know we could use your help. It may take some time, but all I'm asking is that you give us a chance. Let us prove you wrong about humanity. Let's prove Ultimate Despair wrong together."

Jose smiled meekly. "Do you really want a cynic like me on your team?"

"It's usually the cynics that can see things others can't see. You're a good guy, Historia-kun, I believe that whole-heartedly. Trust in me, please." I outstretched my hand to him. And after a few moments of hesitation, Jose sighed and outstretched his hand as well. "We're going to get out of here alive. All of us. All you've got to do is have hope in that fact." Then we shook.

Jose's smile grew and he began to nod. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. You don't seem like a bad person at least; from what I've seen so far. I'll keep being optimistic and try not to be so cynical." After that we let our hands hang down back by our sides. "Well then I guess for now we should focus on our situation and leave the Biggest, Most Awful…ugh, you know that name is such a mouthful, let's just call it the Tragedy for now. So anyway, let's focus on our current situation right now and leave the Tragedy for later. And I'll follow you anywhere you go." Jose chuckled. "You're a natural born leader Maita-senpai."

"Senpai?" I was confused. "Hang on, how old are you Historia-kun?"

Jose looked confused now. "I'm only fifteen…well was fifteen. Couldn't you tell? I'm like a whole foot shorter than you after all."

My eyes widened in surprise. To think that one of the most difficult people I have ever met, whom I actually on some level considered to be my rival along with my friend was a whole two years younger than me.

"Oh is calling you senpai too embarrassing?" Jose asked. "I just thought considering that we're closer now and you're my upperclassman that it would be appropriate."

"No, it's fine," I said awkwardly. "Call me whatever you want. Beigoma does already anyway."

Jose blushed in embarrassment and his stutter returned. "D-Don't com-compare me to her S-Senpai. Now th-that's em-embarrassing."

"You know technically she's your elder too. She's sixteen."

Now Jose seemed surprised. "N-No way, sh-she's my sen-senpai too? I h-have no faith in hu-humanity," Jose whined.

I patted him on the back. "Come on cheer up. You don't have to change the way you act around her just because it's polite. And the same goes for Nodaka."

"W-Why would I cha-change the w-way I act ar-around her?" Jose replied.

"Because she's a year older than me," I replied as I sweatdropped.

"Oh my God, my sen-senpai are tot-total m-morons! My ko-kohai lea-learning experience is do-doomed!" Jose exclaimed.

"There, there," I said as I tried desperately to cheer Jose up. Though I couldn't really blame him, if I had senpai like us I probably wouldn't feel all that confident either.

And then Nagito suddenly opened the door, surprising us both. "Hey guys, not to interrupt your budding bromance but Izuru-kun just cracked the password."

* * *

A/N: And the seeds of mistrust have been sewn. And Akira has formed new bonds with both Nagito and Jose. But the question is, will those bonds last?


	25. Chapter 1, Part 9

A/N: Okay first off, here's the latest status of the free-time events poll:

Nodaka Hoshi – 5 votes

Beigoma Kiyoshi – 5 votes

Azami Jagaimo – 5 votes

Jose Historia – 4 votes

Izuru Kamukura – 3 votes

Aya Kisaragi – 3 votes

Sawa Nanase – 2 votes

Keiko Akasaka – 2 votes

Chihiro Fujisaki – 2 votes

Mukuro Ikusaba – 1 vote

Yasuke Matsuda – 1 vote

Micho Auruka – 1 vote

Jonathan Junmaru – 1 vote

Nate Baron – 1 vote

Soshun Murasame – 1 vote

Nagito Komaeda – 0 votes

Connie Takemi – 0 votes

Shiro Shirobane – 0 votes

Cam Yano – 0 votes

We're doing a little better now. So far we have a three-way tie for first place between Nodaka, the tsundere maid cosplaying girlfriend, Beigoma, the lovable little sister character, and Azami, the stupidly innocent cat girl. All alone in second place lies the lone OCD record-keeping detective, Jose Historia. Tied for third place is Izuru Kamukura and Aya Kisaragi, the unpredictable boy obsessed with uncertainty and the hyperactive girl obsessed with marine life. Tied for fourth place is Keiko, the lez card sharp, and Chihiro, the currently unknown crossdressing programmer. Tied for fifth place we have Mukuro, the freckled soldier girl, Yasuke, the rude and crude neurologist, Micho, the sweet and lovable defense attorney, Jonathan, the sarcastic inattentive and downright impatient genius, Nate, the assassin who doesn't kill, and Soshun, the slacker/student council president/DID freak show. And of course we have the losers with no votes, Nagito, Connie, Shiro, and Cam.

I'm kind of surprised about the turn out so far. I was hoping Nagito would be a little further ahead because I really love writing his character. He's just so complicated, ridiculous, and downright crazy. Which is why he has always been my favorite _Danganronpa_ character. But I am happy that Nodaka is now also in the lead, because I was looking forward to writing some more sappy, slice of life romance/comedy between her and Akira. Anyway, the voting polls are still open until free-time events actually start which is still a ways to go. First the students have to get out of the academy, then Monomi, Diablokuma, and Halokuma need to be introduced, and then the students have to be given their collars and explore the first area that they allowed to roam in. So as per usual, the first free-time event will be the following day, just after the student's first breakfast meeting just like in _Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc_ and _Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair_.

And I finally figured out how I'm going to write all the free-time events. Like I said before, to make up for the fact that unlike one of the traditional games we can't just restart a previous chapter and spend time with a different student, and I don't plan to have any free-roaming section towards the end of the game like the School Mode or Island Mode sections of the previous games, I am going to have a feature after each chapter that a new section called Delusion Mode. As you all know, Akira is a daydreamer and his mind tends to wander a lot, which you can see a lot of in the prologue class trial. So after each class trial I will have Akira feel so distraught over the loss of a friend that come the following night time he will enter a place that Monokuma explains later is a dream realm, which is a place he made for the students to remember their dead friends. The intent is to mentally torture the students, but Akira being a constant daydreamer takes control of the dream realm and is able to interact with the other students like normal. So during Delusion Mode he will spend free-time with the dead friends.

My intent is to give each character five free-time events just like in _Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair_. So any character who died before spending all their free time with Akira will get their report cards completely filled through Delusion Mode.

In other news, sorry this update took so long. I had it halfway written and then I accidentally deleted it so I had to rewrite the whole thing over again, but by that time I had to get prepared for the final assignments before exams at my university, which reduced writing time to zero. That and I got _Pokémon Moon version_ on Friday and I've been playing that non-stop. So I'm really glad I finally managed to finish this chapter. Good thing it's Thanksgiving Break, so I'm going to try and get two more posts up this week, or maybe three if I write fast. Which I don't because I'm writing dialogue as I go and that takes forever!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 9: So long once again, Academy of Despair**

* * *

"Oh my God, my sen-senpai are tot-total m-morons! My ko-kohai lea-learning experience is do-doomed!" Jose exclaimed.

"There, there," I said as I tried desperately to cheer Jose up. Though I couldn't really blame him, if I had senpai like us I probably wouldn't feel all that confident either.

And then Nagito suddenly opened the door, surprising us both. "Hey guys, not to interrupt your budding bromance but Izuru-kun just cracked the password."

"Seriously?" I asked in reply. "It's been like five minutes."

Nagito sighed. "Though I don't like to give that faux Ultimate Hope too much credit, he never ceases to live up to expectations. But his overwhelming curiosity is his undoing, if you guys don't hurry up he might keep all the information hidden away in that file for his eyes only."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Jose asked. "Let's go already!" he exclaimed as he ran past Nagito and back into the video recording room, closing the door behind him. Jose seemed really excited to uncover the Mastermind's secrets.

Nagito snickered at Jose's behavior. "It's hard to believe that was the same kid who called me out on my lies right to my face. Not many people have the guts to do that. Everybody usually becomes afraid of me when I start to go off the deep end."

"So you admit that it's all just an act?" I replied in cunning tone, thinking I had finally gotten the better of Nagito. Until he just flipped it on me.

"No one said that. I've definitely got a screw or two loose up there. Did the mural of my carnage as an Ultimate Despair not convince you?" Nagito asked with his usual care-free smile.

A chill went up my spine as I recalled the images of the terrorist bombings. As I stared at the Ultimate Lucky Student, my mind began to wander and I saw him as he was just a few years ago…or at least what I imagined him to be like. His hair was even rattier than it was now, his skin was a dark gray, more befitting for a corpse than an actual living person. His smile was so mangled and maniacal that it reminded me of that villain, the Joker, from that superhero franchise, _Batman_. And lastly his eyes, his soulless eyes. They seemed almost hypnotic. The hope in them was endlessly churned around and around until it morphed into something filthy and perverted. This was the face of madness. This was the face of chaos. This was the face of despair. It was so vivid, it felt more like a dream than an actual delusion. And that's when I felt a raging heat sting against the nape of my neck. Out of the corner of my eye I could make out a large fire consuming an entire street. Wait…street?

That's when I realized that I wasn't in the Mastermind's control room anymore. I wasn't even in Hope's Peak Academy any more for that matter. Instead I was standing in the charred rubble of what used to be downtown Tokyo. But now it was just and endless pile of ash and rubble. Then I turned around and saw a familiar sight that let me know exactly where I was standing, Shibuya Crossing…or what was left of it at least. The asphalt had been cracked and ripped apart in several sections, broken glass from trashed buildings and businesses lining the crossing littered the streets, and the few cars that remained in the crossing were either totally trashed or on fire. But that was nowhere near the amount of destruction that could be said for the Shibuya Crossing Jumbotron system. Almost all the screens were destroyed, and the exposed wires were setting fire to the buildings surrounding them. The only Jumbotron screen that was still active appeared to be playing the same video over and over again on a loop.

It was really weird, but I recognized the star of the video. Monokuma. At first it looked like some bad children's anime, Monokuma was mindlessly muttering about something nonsensical and there were lots of flashing lights and colors. And before I knew it I couldn't look away from the screen. And that's when I saw the truth behind this video. There were only several split-second intervals in which it happened, but with my mind being intensely focused on the video I saw it all. There was another video hidden beneath this one, a video that could only be described as some kind of perverted snuff film. I saw kids my age killing each other one after another, going insane, as they died one by one. After I saw the first two die, I prayed for it to stop. But it wouldn't. They wouldn't stop. They just kept killing each other. Stabbing, shooting, and maiming each other. They were like animals. And all while this horrible bloodshed was happening I could hear singing. At first it made me feel light-hearted like the way I felt whenever Nodaka sang to me. But the song just didn't match the horrible actions depicted in the video. No, actually it matched it perfectly…for someone making a joke out of all this insanity. And then I recognized the melody of the song. It took me a while to pinpoint it because I hadn't watched that anime in such a long time. _Tsubasa wo Kudasai_. "Mukuro…" I whispered to myself.

I prayed over and over for these horrible things I was seeing not to be real. But deep down I knew it was. Thirteen kids in all died that day. Among them the members of the former Hope's Peak Academy student council. I didn't know where this information was coming from, it was just suddenly there. The kids' horrified faces at their times of death were permanently burned into my retinas. And their information was burned into my brain. I somehow knew who these people were. And one of them stuck out to me. The other Soshun Murasame, he was the only one who survived this horrible nightmare. He was there…and so was...my eyes widened when I saw another familiar face in the video. Izuru Kamukura. Then the video continued and showed the sick and cruel killing of another familiar face, Chiaki Nanami. And the last thing the video showed was Izuru standing over Chiaki's corpse. He was crying, yet he didn't seem to know why. Then a voice from the video brought me back to my senses, it was her voice. It was that demonic voice.

"* _Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe!_ * _Wasn't that just the best? But you know, it's not nearly enough despair. There is far too much order in the world for just a simple massacre like this to do any real damage. I need your help to cause much more chaos and bring about much more despair. If you do that you'll make me really happy. If you give into despair, I promise that you'll be really happy. Let go of inhibitions, morals, and rules just be free! Do whatever you want! Take whatever you want! Inflict as much despair as you want! Live, live for the sake of despair and you'll reach eternal peace! Now go my little minions, go and cause more despair._ " The video stopped for a split second and I turned away from it as fast as I could to keep myself from seeing those horrible images again.

And then my legs gave out from under me. I fell to the ground, hard. I could hear ringing in my ears. I felt like my brain was turning into Swiss cheese. I rubbed my hands furiously against my temples as I tried to calm down, but it proved to be to no avail. The ringing just kept growing and growing and growing. My head felt like it was about to pop like a balloon. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSStttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttoooooooooooooooooooooooooooopppppppppppppppppp iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttttttttt!" I shouted over and over again. And then suddenly the ringing began to soften, and I could hear myself think again.

"Aww, you poor thing," I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

I looked up and saw that Nagito was standing above me. Only this wasn't the Nagito I knew, it was actually the Nagito that I had imagined a few moments ago. Crazy eyes, maniacal smile, and all. "N-Nagito?" I stuttered out.

"I understand how you feel; believe me I do. Nothing but chaos abound for miles on end." Nagito stared at the roaring fire and mayhem behind me. "And this is just the beginning. Japan may be the ground zero of this epidemic but soon this chaos will spread all over the world. Earth will be blanketed in despair in a very a short time indeed. Soon every city in the world will look just like this one. You'll understand sooner or later. In this crazy world we live in now, you either embrace the chaos or it will eat you alive." Nagito looked back at me. "But one day that's all going to change. One day things will go back to normal. All we have to do is wait for the person who can put an end to this nightmare that was created by the original Ultimate Despair. The Ultimate Hope."

"Ultimate Hope?" I replied in confusion. 'What about Izuru?' I asked myself.

"The Ultimate Hope will kill the Ultimate Despair and destroy everything she stands for. They're the only one who can restore order to this doomed little planet we call home. So in order to survive all we have to do is wait until they appear."

I had the strangest sense of déjà vu. "But how do you know that hope will rise again amongst all this chaos?" I asked.

Nagito smiled his wide care-free smile. "Because I believe that hope will always triumph over despair. So until then, why not embrace despair? It might be nice to see how the other side lives for a change." Nagito reached his out to me. "Aren't you curious as well?"

"… _ra-kun?_ " I heard a voice whisper to me.

I stared at Nagito with a horrified look on my face. This was not him. This was not the same boy who loved hope more than life itself. This was some kind of monster in the form of Nagito. Or maybe I was just being too optimistic. Maybe I just wanted to believe in my friend. But maybe I was staring at the real Nagito Komaeda.

"… _kira-kun?_ "the voice whispered to me.

"Just give into despair and you won't have to feel the pain anymore," Nagito whispered to me as his hand inched closer to me.

I hesitated giving him my hand. 'The pain will stop if I just let it control me? If I give into despair, then I won't have to feel this way anymore? No sadness, no hatred, no pain…just emptiness. Pure bliss in emptiness.' A part of me wanted to take this deal that had been given to me. A part of me wanted the pain I was feeling to just disappear. This was no delusion, or dream, this was déjà vu pure and simple. This had happened before.

"Your friends are waiting for you. They too have realized the meaninglessness in continuing to survive amongst this chaos. In order to truly live in this chaos, you must embrace the chaos. Become one with despair, and you'll stop caring about anything. Despair is bliss. You're able to let go of your inhibitions, and let yourself go numb. The pain will disappear in an instant, and in the end you'll be reborn. Come with me. And I'll show you freedom from your pain."

I knew I should just resist. I didn't want to fall into despair if it meant doing horrible things to others. I didn't want to turn into a monster. But the pressure was unimaginable. The pain I had felt for so long was just too great. But the one thing I had trouble recalling was what had pained me so. I couldn't stop myself. I found myself slowly reach my hand out to grab Nagito's.

" _Akira-kun!_ " I felt someone shake me back to my senses. And then suddenly the chaotic world around me disappeared and I found myself back in the familiar control room inside the familiar school called Hope's Peak Academy. And the Nagito from my recollection disappeared and was replaced with the familiar care-free Nagito that I had come to call my friend. He sighed in relief. "Whew, thought I lost you for a second there. You just kind of zoned out on me. Does that happen a lot?"

"…" I stayed silent for a moment as I began to process the things I had just seen.

"Earth to Akira-kun?" Nagito replied.

I shook my head to brush away those thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you." I looked away from Nagito. I couldn't bear to look at his face. It just reminded me of the other Nagito.

"Hmm, I see," Nagito didn't sound convinced. "You know, Akira-kun when I said I wanted to be your friend I mean it. If something's bothering you, you can talk to me about it. I'm here for you, just like Nodaka-chan, Izuru-kun, and the others are."

I sighed and decided to ask him the question that had been weighing heavy on my mind. "You said that you remember everything you did when you were an Ultimate Despair, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Nagito replied.

I turned to look him in the eyes. "Did we know each other before we got here?" I asked.

Nagito's eyes widened. "…" he stayed silent for a few moments.

"…" as did I.

The two of us just stood there in that cramped little room of advanced technology and cluttered paranoia. Neither of us said a word for what felt like an eternity…but really it couldn't have been more than half a minute. Still, you could feel the tension in the air. Nagito just fell silent as I waited for his response. There wasn't even a trace of his usual happy-go lucky smile. He was thinking very carefully about what to say. I could feel his eyes staring right through me. Peering into my soul. He barely even blinked. And then finally…

"Are you starting to remember?" he asked me.

"Remember what?" I replied.

"The day you came face to face with despair. The day you tried to run from its clutches. The day I tried to convince you to join us. The day you refused and ran away to go and find your friends. I'm talking about that day almost seven years ago. Do you remember it now?" Nagito asked.

I looked away from him. "Bits and pieces, I remember seeing this weird anime, which I remember feeling a sense of déjà vu from. And I remember you extending a hand to me and telling me that I should embrace despair if I wanted to stop feeling so much pain. And I also remember seeing all the terrible things that Ultimate Despair had done. From making those innocent kids kill each other, to the mayhem and destruction that Ultimate Despair unleashed upon the world." For some reason, every time I thought about Ultimate Despair in this light I could feel an intense heat coming from beneath my skin. An incredible white heat that threatened to burn me from the inside out. It was more than anger, or hatred for that matter. It was something else entirely…something that couldn't be described with words. Something dark, something cruel. It made me want to watch them suffer. Make the monsters responsible for such tragedies pay. I wondered, was this how Jose felt towards Nagito and the others? If so I couldn't blame him. I had forgotten what monsters they truly were, but now I was remembering, I was remembering quite well.

"Junko-chan reversed the brain-washing process on me by canceling it out with another anime created by one of her pawns, you know him as Ryota Mitarai," Nagito explained.

"The Ultimate Imposter?" I replied as I recalled Izuru mentioning that name earlier on.

"The person the Ultimate Imposter was pretending to be for a while. Even though the Ultimate Imposter was in my class none of us ever learned his real name. He preferred it that way. The real Ryota Mitarai, was known as the Ultimate Animator. And he was one of the most talented people I've ever known." Nagito sighed as he began to tell me everything I wished to know. "He was horribly bullied in his childhood. No one understood him, not even his own parents. He was a lot like me in that aspect. There were times when he even contemplated killing himself."

"And what happened to him?" I asked.

"He was saved by anime," Nagito replied. "I know it may sound silly to you and me but that was what he claimed. He saw some of the most beloved works of anime in his childhood and they restored the bits of humanity in him that the real world had crushed. From then on his life revolved around anime, he knew instantly that that was what he wanted to do. He wanted to do for others like him the same thing that anime had done for him originally. So he stared to design an anime that would be so moving, so creative, so wonderful that anybody who saw it would instantly fall in love with it and be filled with hope. Using state of the art color pattern and brainwashing techniques he was able to make his dream a reality and his anime of hope was created. But then he had the misfortune of running into someone who we both know corrupts anyone they come in contact with."

"Junko Enoshima," I spat out her name.

"The very same. She used Ryota-kun and convinced him that with her help they could bring Ryota-kun's creation to life and fill everyone who watched it with pure hope that anything was possible. And Ryota-kun foolishly believed her…because Ryota-kun chose to see the good in every single person he came in contact with. But the years of spending all his time doing nothing but drawing anime and never having any real contact with the outside world dulled his senses to perceive her as a monster, even when she was staring him right in the face. So he was deceived and unwittingly helped Junko create her own anime, an anime that instead of filling people with hope would fill anyone who watched it with pure despair," Nagito explained.

"So that's how she did it. How she brainwashed everyone into becoming like her?" I replied.

"Yes, she used Ryota-kun's anime techniques and made her own despair anime using footage from her first attempt at a mutual killing game, starring the former student council of Hope's Peak Academy, and also footage from her fist execution, staring the class rep for my class, Chiaki Nanami. She forced me and all members of Ultimate Despair to watch her anime and be filled with despair. Thus, the Ultimate Despairs were born into the world." Nagito sighed again. "And now you're starting to remember. Tell me Akira-kun, do you remember what you did after I said you could be free from your pain?"

I tried to recall the events in my mind but after Nagito's assurances I couldn't recall anything after that, or even anything prior to that event. My memories were only coming back in pieces and I had no way of knowing how they properly fit together. I slowly shook my head.

"Well, after I offered you the chance to join us, you refused…vehemently, if I might add," Nagito reached for his left oven mitt and then slowly pulled it off, exposing what lied underneath. "I'm afraid I lied to you before. I couldn't tell you the truth, not in front of Jose-kun at least. Because if he knew what you did, he might trust you about as much as he trusts me. And I didn't want that. I don't want to hurt you, Akira-kun. I can't hurt you. Not after what you did for me all those years ago." I was expecting to see a pale hand with grizzly-looking fingernails but instead I saw something that made my heart skip a few beats. Nagito's left hand was completely gone. All that remained from the appendage that used to be there was a rounded stump. "Do you remember now Akira-kun? Do you remember when you took my hand away from me?"

I back away slowly from Nagito until I found myself pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the room. "W-What the hell?!" I exclaimed.

"Izuru-kun, thought it might be best for me to hide my condition from the rest of you at first. Considering the shock, it might bring you all. But the tables have turned, we're now both traitors of Ultimate Despair so it doesn't really matter anymore. And truth be told, I wanted you to see this. I wanted you to see the favor that you did me."

"What favor?! What the hell are you talking about?! You're telling me I cut off your hand?!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, you showed me how deep your pain ran. I offered you a chance to be spared from the chaos and in return you spat in my face and chopped off my hand without so much as a second thought. And that's when I saw the true you," Nagito explained with a smile.

"True me?" I repeated in horror.

"You told me and I quote, that you would never willingly let us monsters in. That we'd have to kill you before you joined us. And that if we didn't kill you soon, you would come after each and every one of us one by one until we were all dead by your hand." Nagito raised his stump hand. "You said this was a warning for me and the other about how serious you were. Luckily, for me a friend was able to save my arm before I bled out. I've thought about getting an artificial one for a long time, but I've always decided against it. I think this proves that I'm not the same person I was back then," Nagito explained.

"If that's true then why do you want to thank me? Why don't you won't revenge? Why don't you want to kill me?" I replied.

Nagito scoffed in reply. "You're missing the big picture Akira-kun. You don't understand how brightly your hope shined that day. Even amidst the ruins of despair you still stood your ground and had the courage to not only defy an Ultimate Despair, but also take a piece of them with you. That action you took against me, stirred the little bit of hope still within me and helped me to fight back the despair just enough to regain some of my will power. Don't you see? In a way you helped free me from Ultimate Despair and bring me back to the path of hope. So that's why I wanted to thank you." Nagito beamed at me. "You reminded me of who I once was. Your hatred of despair was just like mine. I could see it in your eyes. All you could think about was destroying despair and ushering in hope. I could tell we were kindred spirits, and I knew that together the two of us could accomplish the task of destroying despair. I wanted so much to find you and help you with your plans, but after that day I never saw you again." Nagito chuckled in delight. "And yet here you are, standing right in front of me. My savior, my redeemer, my Ultimate Hope," Nagito's smile grew as he said that last part.

"Ultimate Hope, me?" I replied.

"Are you really surprised?" Nagito asked. "Anybody who cares so deeply about ridding the world of despair is perfectly qualified to be the Ultimate Hope in my book. And I feel the same way now that I did then, all I want to do is help you achieve your goal of destroying despair. You still wish for their destruction even if you can't remember why you're so mad at them, right?" Nagito asked.

"…" I stayed silent, but my facial expression hardened.

"That's what I thought. I still hate them too. I hate them so much that I personally think the world would be better off without each and every single one of them. So even if you can't remember the reason behind your goal, that doesn't mean that the goal you're reaching for now has to be any different. So that's why…" Nagito put his oven mitt back over his bionic hand, "I will continue to remain by your side for as long as you shall walk this Earth. Because I believe you are the one I have been waiting all this time for. It's unprecedented really, this whole time I had no idea who you really were and then I found out that you're a Reserve Department student. I figured to be as splendid as you were you had to have a truly amazing talent, but instead you turned out to have no talent at all."

"…" I had started to calm down a little but I was still wary of Nagito.

"Do I frighten you, Akira-kun?" Nagito asked suddenly.

"Why do you ask?" I replied.

"Because, even now that your memories have been wiped I still see this weariness in your eyes that reminds me so much of the you, way back then. You want to trust me, but there's some part of you that can't, isn't' that right?" Nagito asked.

"…" he was right. Deep down some part of me could never trust him. But I had no idea why that was. Was it just because he was an Ultimate Despair? Or was it that I couldn't trust Nagito in particular? I didn't know.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." Nagito crept closer to me and then he placed his mitted hands on my shoulders in order to calm me down and get me to loosen up. "You don't have to be afraid though. I don't think of you as an enemy, you're my friend, that's what I've always wanted you to be. From the day that you cut off my hand and reminded me of my old self, I've always thought this. You and I are two of a kind, Akira-kun. More than just nobodies. More than just lovers of hope. Deep down, we both have demons inside us that stem from despair most foul. That is why we both wish to destroy despair and everyone and everything that represents it. Junko Enoshima was just the beginning. When we get out of here, I plan to take down each and every member of Ultimate Despair. And judging by your words during the class trial, that's what you plan to do too isn't it?"

"…" he was right. He was always right. He knew me better than myself.

"Then it's like I said," Nagito replied. "I will follow you to the edge of the Earth. So let's do it together. Let's destroy Ultimate Despair."

"D-Do you really think we can?" I asked in an unsure tone.

Nagito chuckled again. "We're two unconventional geniuses, remember? And we also have the others behind us too. They made it clear they want to fight as well. Even Izuru-kun's going to pitch in and help us crush them. And I don't think any of them would say anything against you leading us into battle. We're all behind you, don't you know?"

"Me, the leader? But I'm just a…was a normal high school kid," I replied. "Do you really think I have what it takes to lead everybody?"

Nagito scoffed. "You're still saying things like that? There's not a doubt in my mind that you're more than qualified to be our leader, Akira-kun. But still Ultimate Despair's army is vast, and almost everyone still alive in the world today is one of them. So we need amass an army as well."

"And how do we do that?" I asked.

Nagito smiled. "Have you ever heard of the Future Foundation?"

And then suddenly the door slammed open and Jose entered the control room with a panicked expression on his face. "Guys it's bad, I mean really bad." Nagito and I looked at each other and then back at Jose, who motioned for us to return to the video recording room. It appeared that whatever Nagito had to tell me about this other organization, called the Future Foundation, would have to wait.

Nagito and I followed Jose back to the computer station that Izuru was working at. He was furiously typing away at the keys on the keyboard while wearing a panicked expression on his face as well. "What's going on?" I asked Izuru.

"It turns out that the reason the Mastermind wanted us to break into their database so bad was so they could spring a little trap they had waiting for us inside the second folder. It was hidden in the deep code of the file program so I didn't even notice it," Izuru explained as he never took his eyes away from the computer monitor.

"Don't tell me it's going to delete the data; we have to know what's inside there!" I exclaimed.

"It's a little worse than that. According to the algorithms contained in the virus, when triggered the virus is supposed to automatically upload and post the files contained on the database to ever monitor contained inside the school. So everyone else can see what's inside them. And I don't need to tell you why that's bad, do I?" Izuru asked.

It was worse than I thought. After all the suspicious things that had been contained in the first file, I could only imagine what was in the second file, in which the Mastermind planted their trap. I looked at the computer monitor and saw that at the top of the screen there was now a little 8-bit Monokuma laughing at us as a timer next to him began ticking down each second. According to the timer we had less than five minutes until the files uploaded. And when that happened. I thought about the consequences. Nodaka being surrounded by the others suspicious eyes, judging her, doubting her, planning against her. What if the paranoia caused them to hurt her? What if it caused them to kill her?! "You've got to stop it! The others can't see that stuff! They won't know what to make of it!" I shouted at Izuru.

"You don't think I know that. As it is now they're already suspicious of each other because of that bitch Junko. If they get even a tiny bit of doubt in one another I don't want to imagine what will happen." Izuru looked up from the computer monitor and I followed his gaze to the wall of monitors on the opposite side of the room, each one corresponding to a different security camera in the school. And I saw them all. Nodaka had gathered them all up and brought them to the entrance hall just like I asked her too. The sixteen of them were just waiting for us to join them with impatient and delighted looks on their faces. They were ready to leave this hellhole once and for all. They needed this. We all did. But if they saw this, we'd be back to square one. Total strangers instead of the best of friends. We'd suspect each other just like the Mastermind wanted us to do. We'd think of this as a game of every man for himself, instead of what it truly was, a one-sided massacre of despair. The secrets contained in these files would literally tear us apart.

"I've never seen you this frustrated before Izuru-kun, is there no way to stop it?" Nagito asked.

Izuru sighed and shook his head. "It's no use. Normally I'd be able to stop this kind of trick in a heartbeat but this is beyond me."

"If that's the case than maybe Fujisaki-san can help us. Someone has to just go down and get…" Izuru cut me off.

"You don't understand. I'm using Fujisaki-chan's abilities as it is. That's my talent remember? And even with her skills she wouldn't be able to stop this. Normally, all I would have to do stop the virus would be to delete the bugged code controlling it. But in this case, the code directing the virus was altered with another console, a console outside the school. Ergo, that's the only console that's capable of changing the code. If I had access to that console it would be a different story, but the computers here are run on a secure network separate from other networks. So I have no way of doing that," Izuru explained.

"I only understood about half of that," said Jose. "So, basically you can't stop the virus because you don't have access to the computer that created it?"

"In very simple terms, yes," Izuru replied.

"Well we've got to do something, we can't just let this happen!" I exclaimed.

"At this point our only option might be to delete the files themselves," Izuru said with a sigh.

"What?! That's all we can do?! This is the only proof we have, we can't just get rid of it!" Jose shouted.

"At this point in time I don't see any other options. We have to think about the good of us all here. Is it more important to keep us together, or to find out what little if any secrets the Mastermind is keeping hidden here?" Izuru asked.

"But that's…" Jose fell silent. He knew Izuru was right.

"Hmm, Izuru-kun you said you were using Chihiro-chan's talent in order to hack into the Mastermind's database, right?" Nagito asked.

"Yes, what about it?" Izuru replied.

"Well if you're using her talent shouldn't you also have access to the projects she's working on through her database. Even if you don't have access to her computer you should be able to connect to that right?" Nagito asked.

"In theory yes," Izuru said. "But why…?" Izuru's eyes widened. "Oh my God, you colossal idiot. That would never work. For one thing she hasn't even finished it yet."

"So she says, it's been seven years though. Maybe she completed it and simply forgot about it when she had her memories erased," Nagito replied.

Izuru sighed. "Even if she did, I'd still need her password to access her database."

"What are you guys talking about?!" I exclaimed.

"Chihiro-chan's AI that she's been building for the past few years. It's designed to not only encrypt hidden information but also to copy it and store it for future needs," Nagito explained.

"So genius here thinks that if we give the AI the files to hold onto then that should keep the others from seeing them and allow us to hold on to them at the same time," Izuru explained.

"Well is it possible?!" I exclaimed.

"In theory, yes. If I remove the files from this database than that should keep the virus from working. But that's only if the AI is online. And even then I'd still need Fujisaki-chan's password to even enter the database," Izuru explained.

"Well just do something!" I replied.

"Fine, fine. I'll give it a shot!" Izuru replied as he opened a new terminal window on the computer. "Shouldn't be too hard at least logging into the network, she uses the same username for practically everything." Izuru typed Chihiro's username in the command prompt. And I peered over his shoulder to see what it was.

 _Username: chi_hirothehero_

"Seriously?" Jose sweatdropped when he saw what the username was.

"Just because she's shy and timid doesn't mean she can't be idiotic at times," Izuru replied. "If you ask me she's just as much a moron as you."

"Still, doesn't her username seem like something that more of a boy would pick?" I asked.

Izuru shrugged. "To each is their own, maybe on some level she envies boys. Programming is more of a male dominated community is it not?" Izuru enter Chihiro's database and was immediately blocked with a password lock. He grunted and looked at the timer. There were only two minutes left. "Not nearly enough time for someone to rush down there and ask her. I'm going to have to think." Izuru stared at the password lock and examined the clues it gave. There were eight characters in total, which could've included letter, number, and special characters. That was almost 300,000 different combinations in total. And the password hint was: lost friend. Izuru thought silently about what the password could be as the seconds ticked away.

"One minute," Jose said, keeping us posted on the time.

And then Izuru smirked. "I've got it," he said as he entered the password and pressed enter. And then sure enough we were in the database, which held a large file that was several hundred gigabytes in total. "It looks like the compression algorithm she wrote for it works, otherwise she would've never been able to store it in a regular database. Then Izuru looked at the properties of the file in question. "It seems to be in working order. Well I guess I owe you one Komaeda-kun. This was actually a pretty good idea."

"Think nothing of it, just hurry up and send the files to the AI or else we'll have a lot of chaos on our hands," said Nagito.

Izuru did as instructed and sent the files from the Mastermind's database to Chihiro's AI's central file. And then the timer stopped counting down and disappeared from the screen. Then we all heaved a sigh of relief. "Now what? Can we look at the files through the AI?" Jose asked.

"I'm not sure, it's worth a shot I guess." Izuru examined the inner workings of the AI's programming files once more until he found the function to launch it. "Here goes nothing," said Izuru. And then a new startup icon appeared on the computer desktop. The icon was titled _Alter Ego_.

After Izuru clicked on the icon it took a few moments for the program to run, but then an amazing thing occurred. Chihiro suddenly appeared in front of us, surprising us all. A younger looking version of Chihiro Fujisaki dressed up in an outfit similar to the Chihiro that we knew. This Chihiro wore a school uniform set consisting of a dark green jacket with a white dress shirt underneath, a brown skirt, matching suspenders, black socks and white Mary Janes. The likeness to the real Chihiro was incredible, I couldn't even begin to imagine how she modeled the AI after herself. " _Hello Master, it's been a while since we last spoke._ " And even more surprising it sounded just like her. "I was starting to think that you forgot about me. _I guess I was just worried for nothing though, eh?_ " she said with a giggle.

"Yano-san, wasn't kidding. She really is a brilliant programmer," Jose said to himself.

The AI Chihiro seemed surprised to see the four of us. " _Oh, you're not my Master. I'm sorry, for the mix-up. But if I may ask, who are you guys?_ "

A command prompt appeared on the screen and without hesitation Izuru typed in a reply to the AI.

 _We're friends of Fujisaki-chan. Our names are Izuru, Akira, Jose, and Nagito. Who are you?_

" _Oh you're the Master's friends?_ " the AI exclaimed in glee. " _This is wonderful; I never get to meet any of Master's friends. It's nice to meet you, you can call me Alter Ego._ "

"Alter Ego?" I repeated in confusion.

"That must be what her program is called. I guess it's meant to symbolize Fujisaki-chan's other half," Izuru explained. "Though it might also reflect on a sense of narcissism, since she makes it call her Master."

"Kind of a weird title though. Why not Mistress, instead of Master?" Nagito asked himself.

"Ask it about the files. See if it can make anything out of their contents," said Jose, ignoring Nagito.

"Hold on, I want to see what it knows about everything else first," Izuru replied as he typed in another response.

 _Alter Ego, how long has it been since you've seen your Master?_

" _Um, well I'd say it's been about…a year or two, give or take? Why, is there a problem?_ " She even had the cute quizzical look Chihiro had when she was thinking about something. The likeness was really amazing. Even in virtual reality she was so Goddamn cute.

Izuru typed in another question.

What year do you think it is?

" _2016? Or maybe 2017? What's with all the questions?_ " Alter Ego replied.

Izuru sighed. "Of course it wouldn't have any real concept of time in our world. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well someone should break the news to her. It's not right to just leave her in the dark," I replied.

Then the other three boys gave me the oddest looks.

"What?" I asked in reply.

"You do know she isn't real, right Akira-kun?" Nagito asked hesitantly.

I got flustered. "Yeah of course I know that. I just don't feel right calling her an "it" since she looks so much like the real Fujisaki-san."

"That's not what he's saying…you have…um…it's right…" Izuru motioned to his nose but it looked like he didn't want to fully say what he meant.

Then all of a sudden Alter Ego gasped. " _Oh my gosh! Akira, you're bleeding! Are you okay?!_ "

My eyes widened and in response to Alter Ego's claims I wiped my right hand underneath my nose and discovered that my nose was currently gushing blood. A scarlet blush immediately over took my face as I turned away from the others and pinched my nose.

"Geez, that is embarrassing," Nagito said with an awkward chuckle.

Jose groaned. "Maita-senpai. And just when I was starting to look up to you too."

" _Umm, did I say something wrong?_ " Alter Ego looked confused.

"You just gave him a minor happy ending, that's all Alter Ego-chan," said Nagito.

"She can't hear you, you idiot. Only see you," Izuru explained. And then he typed in a reply to Alter Ego's question.

 _Akira's fine, you just got him a little excited. He's probably wishing that you and him were alone together right now for about half an hour or so._

Jose and Nagito snickered at Izuru's response. And I turned back to look at them. "What did you type in?" I asked Izuru.

"I just told her you were concentrating too hard and it put pressure on the blood vessels in your nose. You know, you were having a nosebleed," Izuru explained sarcastically. I knew he was lying but I had no way of knowing what he actually typed in. Though I could guess based on the context.

"Probably not the only blood vessels of Akira-kun that felt pressure," Nagito added.

"Screw you guys," I waved them off as I came back over to see what Alter Ego had to offer.

 _Listen, Alter Ego. The reason you haven't seen your Master in so long is because she was kidnapped along with us back in 2015. It's been seven years since then, and a lot of bad things have happened since then. We are currently working with your Master and the others in order to find out more about our captor and escape from their clutches. We would like you to help us in any way you can._

Alter Ego gasped again. " _Oh my gosh! I had no idea, if only I had known I could've done something. I can't imagine what my Master's had to endure since then._ "

Izuru typed in another response.

 _You don't need to worry. She's fine, we'll make sure to protect her._

Alter Ego giggled again. " _Thank you so much. I'm glad Master has friends like you. I promise to be of help in any way I can. What do you need me to do?_ "

 _A few minutes ago we sent you some files with valuable information on them. Do you think you can give us access to them?_

" _Yes, I should be able to. Hold on just a second while I check my database._ " She stood silent for a few seconds and then she became responsive again. " _Alright found them. There are two files. Which one do you want to look at first?_ "

 _We already saw what was inside one of them. We just need access to the other one, YourMemories_beforeDespair_.

" _Got it, I'll bring it up in just a sec,_ " she replied. And then her serious look turned into disappointment. " _Oh no, I'm sorry guys. I wish I could be of more help, but this file is heavily encrypted._ "

 _That can't be. I personally handled the encryption on it. It should be open now._

" _You got the main file to open, yes. But inside this file there are several other files which all lead to different data locations. Basically, it's like unlocking one room only to wander into a room with nothing but locked doors._ "

 _How many "doors" are there? I never got the chance to check it._

" _There appear to be twenty-one in all," Alter Ego replied. "And all but one of them are heavily encrypted._ "

"So this was a backup plan if we somehow managed to trump their first scheme," Izuru explained. "Whatever is on that file must be pretty damaging to not only the Mastermind, but each of us as well."

"Do you think it might tell who among us is an Ultimate Despair?" Jose asked.

"No way of knowing, without the complete file." Izuru went back to typing.

 _Do you think you can unencrypt them all?_

" _Yes, but it will take some time to do so. Just leave it to me, this is the least I can do for you guys after all. But in the meantime, do you want to see what's in the one open file?_ " Alter Ego asked.

"Better than nothing," I said. Izuru nodded in reply.

 _Go ahead and show us._

" _There's just one thing inside…this,_ " Alter Ego made another picture appear on the screen. But it wasn't a normal picture. It was a drawing that had been digitized. The drawing was very colorful and covered in scribbles, which made it appear to have been made by a Primary schooler. It showed blue skies, wide open plains, and a rainbow. And in the drawing there were three crudely drawn people shown holding hands. The first person wore a black outfit and had long black hair and red eyes. I realized that this was meant to be Izuru. The only difference was that the Izuru drawn in the picture was smiling. The second person in the picture appeared to be a girl. She had blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and green eyes, and wore a white outfit, complete with a white dress and white sunhat. And I noticed that this person bore a strong resemblance to Beigoma.

I looked at the other guys and saw that they were all just as shocked as me, especially Izuru. Even though the character in the drawing was smiling, there was no doubt it was him. He seemed happy with Beigoma and this third person, holding hands with the both of them. I couldn't tell what gender this third person in between Izuru and Beigoma was. They had long hair like Izuru, but theirs appeared to be a mix of blonde and brown. They wore a simple gray outfit, that looked similar to a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. But what really struck me was their abnormal eyes. They appeared to be pink in color, but no other distinguishing features could be drawn on it because of the child-like style of the drawing. No details, just colors. Clearly this child's drawing had something to do with what was happening to us. But what, we had no idea.

Alter Ego made the picture disappear and gave us a disappointed face. " _I'm sorry, that's all I have for now. Any other information in this file is locked up tight._ "

Izuru began to type out a response.

 _It's fine. You did great Alter Ego. We have to go meet up with our friends now so in the meantime be working on trying to encrypt the rest of those files. And we'll contact you as soon as we can find another computer._

" _You've got it,_ " Alter ego replied with a giggle. " _Say hi to Master for me._ " And then her program logged off and shut down.

For a few minutes we all stood in silence. Until finally, Nagito spoke up. "Izuru-kun, are you sure you don't know Beigoma-chan? Because that sure looked like you and her."

Izuru shook his head. "No, I'm positive. I've never met her before today. And I've never met that other person either."

"Yeah, who do you think that was supposed to be anyway?" I asked aloud.

"According to Junko, one of us is missing. I think we just saw them. Whoever they are," Jose surmised.

"Either that or it could be the Mastermind," Izuru guessed.

"Or maybe it's both," said Nagito.

We had far too many more questions than answers. But there was nothing more we could do here. And the others were already waiting on us. It was time to go.

"Come on, I'm sure when we get outside we'll find something more credible to go on. So let's just get of here for now, and we'll make sense of it all later," I said.

The other boys agreed, and we all exited the video recording room and ran downstairs to the entrance hall. All the while, blissfully unaware of the many secrets we had uncovered in that room.

* * *

DAYTIME, 5:00 PM

Izuru, Jose, Nagito, and I raced through the school, and down each floor, until finally we arrived at the entrance hall once again. And upon arrival we were immediately greeted by Yasuke's loud complaining. "Ugh, finally! Where the hell have you assholes been?! The nerve of you guys making us wait for so long!" he shouted at us.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Azami curled up in the corner of the entrance hall. She looked like she was just waking up from a nap. " _*Yawn*_!" Azami got back upon her feet and stretched her arms out. "Ugh, Surudoi-kun, you're as noisy and annoying as Jagaimo-chan's alarm clock hebi. Jagaimo-chan was having a really nice dream hebi." She looked like she was still half asleep.

"You were seriously sleeping?!" Cam exclaimed. "I thought maybe you were just thinking silently or something! But how can you seriously sleep at a time like this?!"

Azami make a sleep smile at Cam. "Don'tcha you know, Neko-kun hebi? Cats need to seep for twelve to sixteen hours a day or else they get really cranky hebi. And Azami-tan is a hard-working cat so she needs even more sleep hebi. Aren't you the same Neko-kun hebi?"

"Aww, all the others got cool nicknames. Why am I just a cat?" Cam asked himself in a disappointed way. Then he came back to his senses. "Wait, no that's not the point. I really don't see how you can sleep with this situation we're in. After all this I might never sleep ag…" Cam was cut off when Azami suddenly fell back against the wall and fell asleep when she hit the floor.

" _*Zzzzzzzzzzz…. *_!" Azami snored loudly.

"Glad to see you won't be having any problems though," Cam said with a sweatdrop.

"Um, how old is she again?" Shiro asked.

Micho sighed. "She told me that she was eighteen, but I don't really believe that."

I noticed Nodaka near the back of the room, and then I moved past the others to reach her. She welcomed me warmly and then I asked her, "Hey, has it been like this the whole time?"

Nodaka sighed and then nodded. "Pretty much. They're kind of a useless bunch when they don't need to be serious, eh?"

"And you haven't tried to keep them in line?" I asked in surprise.

Nodaka forced a smile. "I'm trying a new approach, friendly, positive, onboard with everything Nodaka. It's really hard so far but worth the effort if I can make friends with them." She looked like she was deeply bottling up her rage and annoyance.

"Just don't hurt yourself. You're going to get a peptic ulcer if you keep all your anxiety bottled up like that," I warned her.

"I might need some restraint," Nodaka said as she reached out her hand to me. "Could you hold me back if I fly off the handle?"

I took her hand graciously and began to rub my thumb along her palm in an effort to get her to relax. "Calm down. I'm here with you now."

Nodaka took a deep breath and then smiled at me. And then suddenly, Beigoma appeared out of nowhere. "Kira Onii-chan, I'm so glad you're back!" she exclaimed as she forced me into one of her vice-grip hugs, squeezing the life out of me in the process and forcing me to let go of Nodaka's hand. After about half a minute, she stopped squeezing and forced her way in between me and Nodaka. "So Hoshi-chan tells me you're a couple now. That's great, I'm so happy for you," she said with a smile that was all too fake. "I mean it, I'm just so happy for you two." Beigoma turned to look at Nodaka and out of the corner of my eye I could see the blonde shoot the lavender-haired girl a nasty death glare.

Nodaka returned the glare in full force and then went around Beigoma and I and grabbed my other arm. You could feel the tension in the air as both girls increased their grips on my arms. 'Kill me now,' I thought to myself. I don't care what anyone says, a harem is not a male fantasy. It is utter hell!

Meanwhile, things were getting antsy on the other side of the room. Keiko crept up to Azami. "I think it's cute," she said with a giggle. "Cute girls look even cuter when they're sound asleep." Keiko had a very mischievous smile on her face. Keiko crept down to be eye level with Azami and then started poking her cheeks to see her reactions. "Poke, poke, poke," Keiko whispered as she messed with Azami in her sleep. Azami scrunched her nose in response to Keiko's stimuli but she refused to open her eyes or move away. Which Keiko took as an invitation to do more. She started to poke other places on Azami, in an effort to see if she would wake up. And boy was she daring.

Keiko's grin soon grew wider. "The only thing that can awaken a sleeping beauty is the kiss of a noble prince charming." Keiko leaned in and puckered her lips. "Don't worry I promise to be gentle," she whispered to Azami.

"Um are we seriously going to let this happen?" Jonathan asked in an embarrassed tone.

"It's the cat chick's own fault for falling asleep," Deva replied as his nose began to bleed. "Now move out of the way will you, you're blocking the show!" Deva motioned for Jonathan to move away.

"Idiot," Jonathan said with a scrunched eyebrow as he heeded Deva's orders.

"As long as Akasaka-senpai's not doing anything pervy to me, I'm fine with it. While we were investigating and when we were looking for Hoshi-senpai she kept holding me close like I was a plushy. I may be cuddly and adorable but I am a human being dammit and no means no!" Aya shouted.

Micho sighed. "Maybe this will teach her not to be so innocent and trusting around everyone." She also decided to let what may come, come.

Keiko, seeing no resistance from the others moved in closer until she was a few millimeters away from Azami's face. "Time to wake up, Ms. Azami-tan Jagaimo. Your prince has arrived to make all your dreams come true." Keiko took a deep inhale and then shivered in a perverted manner. "You smell so sweet, and yet you look so naughty and tempting," Keiko whispered to Azami. "Just one kiss will be enough, so please don't wake up." Keiko leaned in to claim her prize, only to be stopped dead in her tracks when a hand came crashing down on top of her head.

"Connie Chop!" Connie shouted as she brought her gloved right hand down upon Keiko's head in a furious chopping motion, making her fall face first onto the floor and causing a large bump to appear on her head.

Keiko squirmed and twitched like a squished cockroach as she lay face first on the floor. And Connie stood up above her, wearing a disgusted face. "I detest lechers. If you wish to do such perverted things make sure you do them with only one girl in le future. Are we clear Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts?"

And then all of a sudden Keiko was back on her feet and standing toe to toe with Connie. "What the hell is your problem, Frenchie?! If you got some problem with the way I act then just come out and say it! I love teasing cute girls, and nothing you say will stop me from doing so!"

"Connie Chop!" Connie struck Keiko's bump, making it grow in size and causing her to kneel over in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Keiko exclaimed as she furiously rubbed her bump.

Connie scoffed. "You're so dense," she said before leaving Keiko to her wallowing.

And it was around that time that Azami woke up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned greatly. "Azami-tan had a very realistic feeling dream hebi."

Micho sighed. "Why? Why can't I leave her alone? Why do I have to be such a caring person?"

"Ahem, not to interrupt everyone's good time. But why aren't we leaving yet?" Jose asked suddenly.

"Pfft, ask Keiko," Nate scoffed.

"Still haven't figured it out Keiko-chan?" Nagito asked in a concerned tone.

Keiko still reeling from her battle with Connie, shook her head to stop momentarily seeing stars. "No, I've been over it heads and tails and I still can't solve it. I feel like it's staring me right in front of the face but I just can't see it." Keiko pulled at her hair in frustration. "Why does some stupid riddle confound me, the Ultimate Croupier, so?!"

"I hate to see Akasaka-san suffering so much," said Chihiro. "You said, you still have no idea either right, Yano-san?" Chihiro asked Cam.

"I feel even worse. I'm supposed to be a genius and yet I can't solve one damn riddle? Plus, my name is the last one of the list, if everyone else gets it then it doesn't matter if I don't get the right answer. Everyone can just leave me behind and continue on." Cam gained a glimmer of hope for a second. "But you guys wouldn't do something so cruel as to leave me here by myself, would you?"

"…" no one dared answer.

"Ugh, some friends you turned out to be," Cam hid his shame under his hat.

"And Kira Onii-chan, is it the same for you?" Beigoma asked.

I felt so stupid right now. "To be honest, I completely forgot about the riddle until just now."

Jose sighed. "Senpai, that is so not cool."

"At this rate we're never going to get out of here. Why does the Mastermind have to be so manipulative?" Sawa asked.

"Because he's the Mastermind?" Shiro replied with a sweatdrop. "That's kind of like asking why is the sky blue, Sa-chan."

"There's no getting around it, the rules Monokuma left for us specifically say that we can't share answers," said Jose.

 **Flashback:**

 _Second, each of you must solve the riddle on your own. You may not share answers; I'll know if you do. I have cameras everywhere._

"Actually, I've been thinking about that," said Beigoma. "And I have a question."

"Is it rhetorical? If it is, please don't say it. I've gotten enough rhetorical questions from Sa-chan in the last hour to last the whole day," said Shiro.

Sawa put her hands on her hips. "Hey I do not speak rhetorically. Everything here is just so confusing. Why does everything have to be so confusing?"

"Well no, I think there's an answer to it but I'm just not entirely sure what the answer is," said Beigoma.

"Well lay it on us dude, what's the problem?" Nate asked.

"Okay then," said Beigoma. "Isn't Monokuma's statement here a little weird?"

"Weird? How do you mean Kiyoshi-san?" I asked.

"Well, Monokuma takes everything very literal in order to try and trick us, right?" Beigoma asked.

"Yeah?" Nodaka replied, not getting her line of reasoning.

"So isn't it odd that Monokuma only specifies that we can't share answers to the riddle with each other, but nothing about not being able to share hints? I mean if I was Monokuma I'd want to make the test as difficult as possible bot Monokuma intentionally leaves out hints in the rule. I just wanted to know why that was is all," Beigoma replied.

"…" not one of us said a word for a whole minute. We just stared at Beigoma with agape mouths.

"Hmm, what's the matter? Did I say something wrong?" Beigoma asked.

"You just discovered a loophole in the rules and you don't even realize it do you?" Jose asked.

"Huh, I discovered a loophole?! Really?! That's awesome!" Beigoma exclaimed in glee.

"Seriously who the hell is the girl?" Jonathan asked.

* * *

A/N: Oh Beigoma, you are just…*sigh*, just too much to deal with. I think that's a good stopping point for this post. We had some new things revealed, and lots of shits and giggles. Talk to you again in hopefully, three days at the most with a double post. Hey, that last part rhymed. Cool.


	26. Chapter 1, Part 10

A/N: Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now let's get on with the show. I think you will all find this next part of Chapter 1 very interesting.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 10: Nothing**

* * *

 _Darkness. All I see around me is darkness. Pitch black nothingness. So black that it swallows me whole. So deep that I feel myself falling into an empty black void. I see nothing. I hear nothing. I feel nothing. I am nothing. As I dream, nothing but emptiness fills my mind. There is nothing. My heart, my brain, my very being feels nothing. I am an empty slate, swept clean by a series of unfortunate events. Created to feel nothing. Nothing is the key. I was always meant to be nothing. I am not supposed to remember who I am. I am not supposed to remember the things I did. I am not supposed to remember that I was once something. Why? Because now I am nothing. Nothing is what I am, and what I shall always be. Nothing._

 _I try to run. I try to escape. I try to forget. But no matter how hard I try, it is always meaningless. They do not stop. They do not stop until I am left with nothing. This world is unforgiving, uncaring, it takes away people in an instant like it's nothing at all. It's done the same thing to me. So now I have become nothing. I must not feel. I must not care. I must not love. Why? Because now I am nothing. Nothing is what I am, and what I shall always be. Nothing._

 _Look deep in yourself. And you too will realize that in the end there is nothing. Beyond hope. Beyond despair. Lies nothing. The world is not meant to be painted in shades of black or white. It is not meant to be gray either. The world is not meant to be painted at all. The world needs nothing. But still, individuals claim that it needs something. They claim the world is not meant to be the way that it is. But they all lie. Even the polar opposites of hope and despair are lies. The world needs neither hope, nor despair. It needs nothing, it wants nothing. But still, people give. And that is false. I am nothing. They are nothing. We are nothing. Our existence does not matter. We do not matter. Why do I say these things? Because now I am nothing. Nothing is what I am, and what I shall always be. Nothing._

I read these words over and over again for what felt like an eternity. To think that the only sane entry written in this notebook would sound oddly poetic. Why was I doing this? Because there was nothing else to do. I had been sitting here in this white room for what felt like hours on end. And the only thing that was in here with me was this old, tattered notebook that I held in my hands. And as I said before, the only sane entry in said notebook was this almost poetic entry where the author kept declaring that he was nothing over and over again. Everything else was just pages upon pages of the same phrase written over and over again. So I read the entry over and over again, because there was nothing else I could do. I was trapped in this room, I realized that within the first few minutes of my awakening. There was a single door at the far end of the room that was locked from the outside, and there were no windows or any furniture at all. It was just an empty white room with a single notebook that contained a single entry inside.

That had been my life for the past few hours. At least I thought it had been just a few hours. But given the absence of time in my current state it could have been much longer than that. I could've been in that room for a day, or a week, or even a year or more. And in all that time I hadn't even begun to figure out what my purpose for being in this room could've been. The simple answer being I couldn't remember anything from before I got into this room. Before I woke up, everything was completely blank. My name, my life, my memories. They were all gone. I couldn't even really tell what I looked like because there was no mirror in the room. I was completely in the dark…almost exactly as the notebook described.

"Utter nonsense, and then…" I hesitated before turning the notebook's page and reading the rest of its contents. Like I said before, besides the first entry all the notebook did was repeat the same phrase over and over again.

 _I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing. I am nothing…._

"Even more nonsense," I said to myself. I sighed and threw the notebook on the floor in frustration. "No answers at all. I don't know what I was expecting." It was odd. I knew I should be panicking more given my current situation and yet I was perfectly calm. It was the strangest thing. I had no idea who I was or what I was doing in that room in the first place, and yet I was as cool as a cucumber. My focus drifted from the notebook to the door at the far end of the room. "Might as well see if I can get a response now that some time has passed." When I first woke up I tried to open the door for a few minutes and then spent several more minutes trying to call out to anyone who was beyond the door. But it was all to no avail. But like I said, I didn't have anything else to do so I might as well try again. I picked myself up off of the cool, white tiled floor and then made my way to the door. And then I wrapped my hand around the brass doorknob and jiggled it for a few moments, trying to get it to open. "No dice," I said as I gave up my fruitless effort. Then I knocked on the door's surface and tried to call out. "Hello?! Is there anyone out there?! I'd like to come out now!" I shouted out so that they could hear me. And then I waited a few moments for a reply, only to receive no answer.

I sighed. "Of course. What was I expecting?" I asked myself. And then suddenly _…*click*_. My ears pricked up when I heard an unknown sound. And my focus redshifted to the door. I hesitated before reaching for the doorknob again, and then I twisted it to the right and was surprised to see that the door opened without any resistance. "I guess I can leave now." I opened the door a crack and then stuck my head through the opening. Beyond the door lied an empty white hallway, similar to the room I was currently in. I looked to my left and saw that the hallway seemed to extend far beyond my means of sight, and then I looked to my right and saw the same sight. The hallway was deserted and not a single thing was in sight, save for the single object on the wall opposite the door crack. There was a single sign that had a crudely drawn red arrow on it that was pointing right. Ominous maybe, but after being trapped in that room for God knows how long, any sign of civilization was a welcome sight. I looked back behind me and took one last look at the room I woke up in before exiting and closing the door behind me. Then I turned right and headed in the direction the arrow was pointing. I walked the whole distance. I didn't see the point in running since for all I knew I was walking to my death.

And soon I came to a four-way intersection of halls, with another sign telling me to take the hall to my left. Again I heeded the sign's instructions, and again I walked the whole way there. Until I reached another intersection, this time telling me to take another right. And after that I took a left, then another left, then a right, then another left, then another right, left, right, right, right, left, making a mental note of each direction I went just in case I needed to backtrack. And then finally I arrived at a set of double doors which had another sign hanging over them that had an arrow pointing down at the doors. The sign also read:

 _ここ、愚かな_

 _(Here, stupid)_

It was written in Japanese, as were the entries written in the notebook from before. Since I understood it easily, I figured I must have been Japanese. I still had no idea who I actually was though. "Hmm, I wonder, will my captors be behind this door? Or something else?" I really did not know why I was so calm about all this. I'm sure any other person in my situation would be shaking in their boots right about now. Yet here I was, faced with this unknown situation and I wasn't even so much as flinching. "Only one way to find out what's going on here." I grabbed hold of the double doors' handles and pulled them open and walked inside the newfound room.

The room was very dark upon entering so I crept as slowly as I could to avoid any accidental trip ups. And then suddenly, a light in the back of the room buzzed to life and revealed a gray swivel chair, the back of which was facing me. And then I heard the creepiest laugh ever. " _*Upupupupupupupupu*_! Sorry about the wait, but I had to attend to the others first. I know it may not seem like it right now, but trust me when I say that the sooner they get settled the sooner we can get on with your story, Mr. or Mrs. Other Protagonist. That's right, you don't know who you are or even what you look like, so neither does the audience. Why? Well that's because you're the main event, the person everyone is interested in seeing in action. And what people like even more than surprise guests, is surprise guests who are a complete enigma. So yes, unfortunately during your stay here you will not be allowed to have any identity at all. But don't worry, it won't be all bad. While your fellow contestants are busy getting to know each other and forming bonds that will last a lifetime you will get to spend a jolly good old time with me…the loveable, fun-loving, and all around menacing Mastermind of this game…" suddenly the swivel chair turned around and revealed its occupant…a talking stuffed teddy bear. "Monokuma!" the bear shouted at me.

"…" I had no reply.

"Ahem…I said, Monokuma!" clearly the bear was upset about my lack of response.

"…" I continued to ignored the bear and instead looked around the room surrounding the me. Now that there was a little light I could make out some of my surroundings. This appeared to be some kind of conference room. The bear was sitting at a large desk which had two other occupants, both of whom were choosing to be quiet, and there was also a large television monitor hanging on the wall behind the talking teddy bear.

An anger mark appeared on the teddy bear. "Hey dumbass! Acknowledge people when they're talking to you!" he shouted at me.

"…" I wasn't amused.

"I'm trying to be a good host and introduce myself and this is the thanks I get?! Would it kill you to show a little more interest in me?!" the bear shouted.

I didn't know why I was acting this way. I mean clearly any normal person would be shocked by this sudden encounter and yet here I was pretending like this bear didn't exist at all. And then I finally said, "So your name's Monokuma? Alright then Monokuma, I just have one question for you. Who are these other contestants you're talking about?"

Monokuma blinked a few times in shock. "Umm, that's your only question? You don't want to know why a teddy bear is talking to you? Or why you're here, or even who you are? Typically, those'd be the questions you would ask first."

"True, but I can infer that judging by your word choice in your introduction that I am here to play some kind of game. And judging by the kidnapping pretense and your overall appearance and demeanor that this game is very nefarious. As to who I am, I can also assume that my identity is somehow damaging to this game, which is why it's being kept secret. But you've also told me that you will give me my identity back in a short time so I don't think I have anything to worry about. And finally, it's pretty obvious that you're a highly advanced robot designed to look like this horrid bear that's being controlled by some unknown third party. Does that about sum everything up?" I asked.

"Umm, yeah pretty much. You got everything right for the most part," said Monokuma.

"Okay then, who are these other contestants?" I asked my question again.

"Well besides you there's twenty other victims," Monokuma said as he retrieved a remote control from his person and pressed a big red button on it. Then suddenly the television monitor behind him turned on and revealed a screen with twenty different faces on it, all of them appeared to belong to kids which I assumed to be near my age. But then again I wasn't sure how old I really was. Then Monokuma began saying the contestants' names one by one, and as he did so their pictures took over the whole screen and revealed a full body image of them. "Allow me to explain about yours' and the other contestants' current predicament. You along with the other twenty are all former students of an elite school called Hope's Peak Academy in which each student possesses a particular talent and that gives them a title to represent said talent."

"So I used to go to this Hope's Peak Academy? And I talent just like the others?" I asked.

"Correct, but I'm not going to tell you what your talent was just yet. The memory loss for you is only a temporary thing, within a few days some of your memories will come flooding back to you," Monokuma explained.

I sighed. "Okay then what can you tell me about the others?" I asked, my attention returning to the monitor.

"Well along with you we have several other Hope's Peak Academy students set to play this game. There's Keiko Akasaka, the Ultimate Croupier." A full body image of a flashy, blue-haired, tanned girl appeared on the screen. "Apart from being one of the best card sharps in the world, she is also known for being very touchy feely with other girls, if you catch my drift."

"Not really, no," I said as I shook my head.

Monokuma sweatdropped. "You're a lot of fun." Monokuma ignored me and then continued on introducing the other students. "Next we have Micho Auruka, the Ultimate Defense Attorney. She's called as such because she seeks out injustice wherever she can find it and makes it her personal vendetta to seek the truth out in any court of law. And given the specifics of this game which you will soon learn about, she's probably going to really thrive here."

"Her appearance doesn't really match that of a lawyer, but I suppose it's just a ploy of some sort to hide her true character. Okay you can continue," I said to Monokuma.

"Gladly. Then we have Nate Baron, the Ultimate Assassin. As you could imagine his talent involves the skills used by professional hitmen and mercenaries to carry out their missions involved in…"

"Killing people," I cut Monokuma off. "I know what an assassin is, my memory's been taken from me, not my education." I looked at Nate's picture. "But this boy doesn't look like an assassin at all. He doesn't look like he could hurt a fly."

Monokuma chuckled. "Looks can be deceiving, Mr. or Mrs. Protagonist." Monokuma continued on introducing the others. There was Aya Kisaragi, the Ultimate Marine Biologist. Who was also described by Monokuma as being a girl who never seems to run out of energy and never stops talking unless you cut her off. I could imagine how troubling she would be to the others. Then there was Jonathan Junmaru, the Ultimate Procrastinator. His talent involved the ability to notice minuscule details that most people wouldn't even think to observe. However, his ability was often overshadowed by the fact that he seemed to have a fault with everything, especially cleanliness. Then there was Azami Jagaimo, the Ultimate Oculist. She was apparently a brilliant doctor in the fields of optometry and ophthalmology and knew almost everything about the inner workings of the eye, including the very interesting field of hypnosis. However, despite being a genius in her own right she was the very definition of weird what with her cat like nature and mannerisms, and the fact that the way she spoke was somewhat definitive of a Primary schooler. Then there was Shiro Shirobane, the Ultimate Set Designer. Not much information was known about him save for the fact that he had a very artistic and managerial talent to design sets for plays and musicals, and that he was a very superstitious person which probably went along with the many years he had worked with actors. Then there was Sawa Nanase, the Ultimate Triathlete. She was apparently a very gifted athlete who could leave almost anyone in her dust when push came to shove. However, her appearance did not compliment this. As a matter of fact, from my point of view she looked tired and depressing, like someone who had all but given up on life. She wore a smile, but her eyes told a different story entirely.

Then there was Connie Takemi, the Ultimate Horologist. She was apparently a gifted clock craftsman who valued time above anything else. She also appeared to have an interest in the literary works of Lewis Carroll judging by her Mad Hatter-like outfit. Then there was Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier. She was apparently a gifted mercenary who had killed many people and had been involved in many battles, all without sustaining a single scratch. Her eyes also told a story of sadness and regret. And then there was Jose Historia, the Ultimate Historian. He would often record everything that he had seen, heard, or experienced in this leather-bound journal that he always seemed to carry around. He also appeared to have a thing for mysteries judging by his odd Sherlock Holmes outfit choice. Then there was Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. She was one of the most gifted programmers in existence, going so far as to make one of the world's most advanced AIs. But I couldn't help but notice as I stared at her photo on the monitor that there was something off about her. But for the life of me, I couldn't place what I thought about her. She just seemed different. And then there was Cam Yano, the Ultimate AV Technician. He was the former head of Hope's Peak Academy's audiovisual club and not much was known about him save for the fact that he lived and breathed tech. He was by far one of the most mysterious ones.

Next was Nodaka Hoshi, or more accurately Nodaka Nakatsukaze, who's talent according to Monokuma was currently unknown. Monokuma explained to me that the reason I was here with him and not with the others was because an unknown individual implanted themselves amongst us and took my spot. In other words, a traitor was amongst the others, and Nodaka Hoshi was the most likely candidate for that position. After her was Akira Maita, the Ultimate Wannabe. Who unlike the others possessed no talent at all and was instead selected from what's known as the Reserve Department course due to his connections to Nodaka Hoshi and several others. Then there was Beigoma Kiyoshi, the Ultimate Quote Keeper. Her talent involved her eidetic memory which allowed her to remember any quote that she's ever seen, heard, or read. However, I couldn't help but feel like there was more to her than met the eye. I couldn't explain it, but I felt like somehow I knew more about her than I did the others. But I decided to ignore this feeling for now and let Monokuma proceed with telling me about the others. The next person Monokuma talked about was Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student. Apparently Nagito had a knack for always being lucky and having things go his way. His family was blessed with unnatural luck which Nagito inherited and allowed him to be selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy by winning a special lottery. I thought his talent was quite interesting but according to Monokuma, the same could not be said for Nagito himself. Along with his unnatural luck he also possessed a unique mindset that caused him to view himself as utter garbage. I could tell without even having met him that he was a very interesting individual indeed.

After him came Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist. He was another gifted genius who knew everything both physiological and psychological concerning the brain. However, along with his unique genius he possessed a rotten attitude and foul mouth that gave him the moniker of "the sharp tounged neurologist". I could see him as being a very troubling individual. Then there was Soshun Murasame, the Ultimate Student Council President/Ultimate Deva. He apparently suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder and as such had two distinct personalities, one of which was a slacker who never liked to try hard at anything and was the complete opposite of what you would expect a Student Council President to be like and the other was way too intense and liked to pretend that he was the equivalent of a god, which was where the deva term came into play. He was yet another mysterious individual. It was an odd feeling, without even having met him I somehow knew that there was more to him than met the eye. I wonder, before I lost my memory did I know him from somewhere? And lastly there was Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope. He was apparently the result of an illegal experiment performed by Hope's Peak Academy in order to give talent to a talentless person. Which resulted in his memories being erased and his mind being permanently altered. As he was now, he was an incredible genius who had the ability to not only copy a person's talent and make it his own but also to read human patterns and predict certain outcomes. He was very interesting, and yet he was the person that I seemed to be the most unconcerned about. It was an odd feeling, very much unlike how I felt about the others. It was like I somehow knew him, and yet I somehow didn't. He was both familiar and mysterious to me. Did I know him? Or was I somehow aware of his existence? It was very weird to say the least. But I couldn't help but feel like he was the key to my identity.

"So any more questions, Mr. or Mrs. Other Protagonist?" Monokuma asked me.

"A few," I replied. "First of all, this mutual killing game as you call it? A person can only win by killing one of the other participants and successfully getting away with the murder, correct?" I asked.

"That's right," Monokuma answered me.

"Then I'm excluded from the game until one of the students dies?" I asked.

"In a nutshell. After the first class trial, I'll allow you to meet the others and be a part of all the fun. But until then I'm afraid you're going to have to hang out here with me. But don't worry…" suddenly the monitor changed its picture and showed a live feed of my fellow participants in an unknown location, "you'll still be able to watch all the fun from here."

"Fair enough. A follow up question then? Why do you keep calling me "Mr. or Mrs. Other Protagonist"?" I asked.

"Because you're supposed to be anonymous, dum-dum," Monokuma replied. "And technically I can't even tell your gender from here. You've got some fugly ass hair, when's the last time you had a freaking haircut?"

I let one of my bangs run through my hand and took notice of what Monokuma meant. "I can't really tell what I look like from my point of view either. I noticed the distinct lack of windows or mirrors in this place. Is that to keep anonymity also?" I asked.

"For the audience, yes. It may seem odd but your gender actually plays a big role in this, so we must keep it hidden along with your identity," Monokuma explained. "Good thing you have such bad hygienic skills and that ambiguous-sounding voice otherwise it would make it very apparent. But at this point the only way to learn your gender is if we look down your pants." Monokuma laughed manically.

"…" I didn't even giggle.

"Geez, would it kill you to crack a smile?" Monokuma asked with a sweatdrop.

"I don't see the point. I'm being held against my will after all, and according to you I'm not even allowed to know who I am. What's there to find funny?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you exactly who you are all in due time. But till then here, a little memento from your past." Monokuma pulled something off his person and then put it on the table and passed it down to me. When the object in question made its way to me I picked it up off the table and examined it closely. It appeared to be a pink hand puppet shaped like a dog, and complete with tiny ears and arms. Curious, I slid the puppet over my left hand and started to move my hand in accordance to the puppet's movements.

"This was mine?" I asked.

"In another life, yes it was," Monokuma replied.

"Hmm, interesting," I said to myself as I stared into the button eyes of the hand puppet. Then I turned my attention back to Monokuma. "One last question. Who are the other two people in this room with us?" I asked.

"Ooh, such sharp observation skills. Well I'm afraid for now, that like you their identities must also remain hidden. But I guess there's no harm in letting them say hello." Monokuma stood up in his swivel chair and then began to do a ridiculous and embarrassing dance. It was kind of hard to watch actually. And then at the end of the dance, Monokuma raised both of his arms in the air and shouted, "Power on!"

And then I heard a series of electronic beeps and saw two red eyes glow brightly on either side of the long table. To my left glowed a bright red, scar-shaped eye similar to Monokuma's left eye, as well as a scar-shaped white eye that glowed just as bright. The eyes didn't illuminate the whole person but I managed to see that their body's outline was shaped almost like a devil, with horns and wings and everything. And to my right glowed a red visor-like eyepiece that illuminated this person's silhouette. They appeared to be shaped like an angel, with a halo and wings and everything.

And then two wicked cackles escaped the mysterious people's mouths. " _*Fufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufu*_! _/ *Hohohohohohohohohohohoho*_!"

"Boys, introduce yourselves to our guest," Monokuma commanded the little devil and angel.

The devil turned to face me. "Soitenly boss. Listen up kid, and listen well. The name's Diablokuma and you'd do best to remember it, ya dig? I'm nowhere near the boss's standards of mischief but I'm pretty bad myself when I have to be, so it would be in your best interest to stay on my good side. Because I'll let you on a little secret, I have a nasty temper. So try any funny business and you'll be sleeping with the fishes, comprende?"

"You sound like a mix between a stereotypical American street thug from the fifties crossed between one of the Three Stooges," I replied. I didn't know where the references came from but they seemed to describe Diablokuma perfectly.

"Oh wise guy, eh?! Why I aughta come over there and…!" Diablokuma seemed unnerved with me but then Halokuma came to my rescue.

"You'll have to excuse my twin brother, he's been rambunctious since we were kids and I've always had to keep him in his place." Halokuma sounded like one of those announcers on a Saturday kid's cartoon. "He's a firm believer in chaos and violence which is why he's always playing such mischievous tricks on the innocent. But do not fear, for I the noble ally of justice, Halokuma shall prevent any mischief that crosses my path!" This guy seemed like a real blowhard.

"So since you're an ally of justice I guess that means you're opposed to this mutual killing game that Monokuma has set up?" I asked.

"Oh most definitely, killing is utterly repugnant! I shall not stand for such injustice on my watch!" And then all of a sudden he did a complete 180. "But I'm no match for Monokuma at all so I think I'll just stay out of his way. I can barely handle Diablokuma as it is. I'm an ally of justice, not suicidal."

"Some help you are," I replied.

Monokuma sighed. "You'll have to excuse my dimwitted younger brothers. They didn't get enough oxygen at birth and instead of being half and half like yours truly one of them is a dumb brat who never knows when to stop playing tricks and the other one is a big mouthed wuss. But I'm their big brother, so I'm stuck with them whether I like it or not. But let me tell you this straight, being a big brother is a colossal pain in the ass." Then all of a sudden a loud alarm went off in the building and a series of red lights began flashing. Something was going on.

"Oh it looks like the other little kiddies have started leaving the academy. Do you want us to go and give them a warm welcoming, boss?" Diablokuma said excitedly.

"Ooh, this sounds like a perfect opportunity to give them my thirty-minute speech on why killing each other is wrong! Count me in!" Halokuma exclaimed in an even more excited manner.

"Sure why not, but be careful." Monokuma leaned back in his chair and folded his paws to form a finger pyramid of contemplation. "I sense something, a presence I have not felt since…" Monokuma patted his paws together. "Hmm, very interesting. It appears we have an uninvited guest. Make sure that you make them feel welcome as well."

"You got it boss," Diablokuma replied.

"Anything you say, dear brother," Halokuma replied in a fearful tone.

"Good, now fly my pretties, fly!" Monokuma shouted. And then suddenly Diablokuma and Halokuma disappeared and all that was left was me and Monokuma. "Whelp, now that's it's just the two of us I guess we don't need to be so secretive anymore." Monokuma clapped his paws together and then suddenly the rest of the room's lights came on, lighting up the whole room. A swivel chair was revealed to be right in front of me. "Have a seat and take a load off, why don'tcha?"

I shrugged my shoulders and did as instructed. "So what now?"

"Now we just sit back and watch," Monokuma said as he turned his chair to face the monitor behind him which showed the live feed of the other participants.

My eyes were instantly drawn to one particular person, Izuru Kamukura. "Good luck," I found myself saying.

"They're going to need more than luck, kid. You're all doomed, whether you realize it or not," Monokuma replied without turning back to face me.

"Who are you exactly?" I asked.

"Who am I?" Monokuma replied. "Why I'm just the person who's come to punish you all for your sins. I am justice incarnate."

And thus began my new life as an observer.

* * *

A/N: Sorry, I only ended up getting one part done. But I should have the next part done sometime next week. Till then I hope you guys enjoyed this look at the 21st student.


	27. Chapter 1, Part 11

A/N: The time has come for our adorable little students to leave school and embrace the outside world. Graduation day is here at last! But wait, all is not well in our lovely Despairadise. An intruder has arrived on the scene. What will the students make of this new encounter? Read on to find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 11: Welcome to Despairadise, the most f***ed up place on Earth!**

* * *

An hour and forty minutes, that's how long it would take for all of us to get out of the academy while abiding by Monokuma's crazy rules. The door in the entrance hall would only open a maximum of twenty times, and only one of us could go through at a time. So we each had one turn to guess the correct password and open the door to escape. Which meant that if anybody guessed the wrong password then someone would end up having to stay behind. None of us were thrilled about this arrangement in the slightest, but we already decided that we were going to stick together so we had to make the best of it and just promise one another that we wouldn't make any mistakes. Everyone was getting out of here no matter what.

And after a brief hint session for Keiko, Cam, and I given to us by the others, we were ready to finally leave. Keiko was up first, as Monokuma specified that we had to leave the academy in alphabetical order…or else. I was nervous, thinking about what the punishment for breaking the rules might be. I looked up at the gatling guns still positioned on the ceiling of the entrance hall. 'You probably get made into Swiss cheese by a hail of bullets,' I thought to myself. It panged me to think of Keiko ending up like that. No, actually it panged me to think of any of my friends ending up like that.

"Do your best Akasaka-senpai," said Aya, in an effort to motivate Keiko.

"You've got this Kei-chan," said Shiro.

"No pressure," said Nate.

"Yeah, just keep in mind that if you don't guess the password correctly then you'll have wasted your turn and one of the people stuck in line behind you won't get to leave this hellhole," said Jonathan. "But yeah, no pressure or anything," he added sarcastically.

Keiko groaned. "Oh, my stomach is in knots." She tried to force herself to move towards the vaulted door but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't make her feet move forward. "Guys, I think I'm stuck. My body won't move." Then she started to shake. "Calm down, calm down," she said to herself. "You can do this, you have to, otherwise one of your friends will suffer. Or maybe, all of them if you space out completely." Her jitters just seemed to get worse. The pressure was literally eating her alive. But being the prideful girl that she was she would never admit it whole-heartedly, so she tried to maintain a confident smile. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this…I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't." And then she just broke down to her knees and started silently weeping. "Even if you expect me to be the hardcore, take no prisoners, laughs in the face of danger kind of gambler, all I am at the end of the day is a girl who's good with cards, not crazy shit like this!" And her iron mask broke in half just like that.

"I'm pretty sure no one ever thought of you in that way to begin with," Jose scoffed.

"True, what you're remembered for mostly is your perverse nature," Sawa added with a sweatdrop.

Keiko whined, "I'm your elder, treat with me some respect!"

"We would if there was anything about you that garnered respect," said Nodaka.

"Oh who am I kidding, it's true! I'm a pathetic upperclassman, who was bested in games of chance by a kohai three years younger than me a total of 356 times! I can't do anything right!" She was literally falling apart at the seams. She wasn't crying per se, it was more like how a little kid would act to garner pity and sympathy from others whenever they messed something up.

And soon her fake crying brought a sympathetic shoulder to cry on to her aid. Connie crouched down to Keiko's level and then suddenly started patting her on her head. "There, there, it's going to be alright. Just calm down," Connie said in an uneasy voice. Clearly, the sight of a girl who was a year older than her throwing a tantrum like a little kid was awkward for her as much as it was for us. But she didn't stop trying to comfort Keiko. "Come on, shush now. That's enough feeling sorry for yourself, nothing's even happened yet, no?"

Keiko raised her head so she was eye level with Connie. She seemed to have calmed down somewhat but she was still sniffling a lot. " _*Sniffle*_ ,Ms. Connie Takemi? You sympathize with _*sniffle*_ me?"

Connie flashed Keiko an awkward smile and then she sweatdropped, "More like you seem so pitiful that I just can't leave you alone. Honestly, Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts, you remind me a lot of ma petite soeur. My little sister," she explained.

"Your _*sniffle*_ little sister?" Keiko repeated.

"Yes, I have two siblings, a little brother and sister. They're twins and they're nine years younger than me," Connie explained.

Keiko continued to whine. "You think of me as a nine-year-old?"

Connie sighed. "Honestly, yes." And then she began to speak in full-on French, as she whispered something quietly to herself. "Sacre bleu, j'ai un tel goût horrible, n'est-ce pas?" (Translation: Oh my God, I have such horrible taste, don't I?")

"Eh?" Keiko replied in a confused manner.

"Nothing," said Connie. "Look, I know that all this pressure on you to start us off is a lot to handle. Tis un gros fardeau, no? (Translation: It's a great burden, no?") "But listen, you don't have to carry that burden alone. I'm with you Mademoiselle, and so are mes amis, no?" Connie looked to us to back her up.

We all nodded in reply.

"See? Remember, you're not in this alone. We're here to help you. All we have in this crazy world is each other now. We can't afford not to be there for each other." Connie took both of Keiko's gloved hands into her own gloved hands. "You think of me as ton ami, no?"

Keiko sniffle again and then nodded. "Yes, though you aren't always that nice to me, and not even half an hour ago you practically gave me a concussion, I still think of you as my friend. My friend, who also happens to be a very, very cute girl."

Connie blushed beet red and then removed her hands from Keiko's grasp. "Honestly, you know how to ruin a mood. If all you do is flirt, then you'll never truly find love. Love is le greatest feeling of all time, and it shouldn't be just tossed around so casually," Connie said as she picked herself up off the floor and dusted off her pants. "I think it's fine if you like girls, but why don't you just pick one of them and not be so flirty with le reste? You are trop difficile, no?"

Keiko giggled as she stared up at Connie. "It's just the way I am. I'm not a one girl kind of girl, I like having options. Even when said girls don't even go that way. Keiko Akasaka doesn't take no for an answer."

Connie scoffed. "Un gros pervertir, no?" (Translation: "A big pervert, no?")

"If that means major pervert, then no skin off my nose. I'm proud to be so open with my affections." Keiko smirked deviously. "Speaking of which, I've been dying for you to let down your guard so I could do this!" All of a sudden Keiko sprung back onto her feet and gabbed ahold of Connie's top hat and pulled it off of her head, revealing that she had a wavy French bobbed haircut underneath. Connie seemed surprised to have her hat taken so forcefully, as she patted the space over her head that it once occupied with her hands, feeling only air in reply. Then Connie immediately got red in the face with anger.

"Give that back, right now!" Connie clawed at Keiko to get her top hat back, but Keiko kept her at bay with a single hand.

"Sorry, it's in my nature to tease girls that attract my attention. So I have to tease you as much as possible Frenchie, because you're just so fun to mess with," Keiko said in a playful tone. Then Keiko put the top hat on her own head and asked Connie, "What do you think does it suit me?"

"I said give it!" Connie continued clawing at Keiko.

"In a second," Keiko replied playfully. Keiko took off the top hat and then did one of the creepiest and perverted things I have ever seen. She pressed the inside of Connie's top hat to her face and took a deep inhale. Then she let out an orgasmic-sounding sigh. "Oh my God, you smell so good. You have to tell me what kind of conditioner you use." Then she took another inhale. "Or is this just your natural smell? If so, now I want more." Keiko looked ravenous.

Connie shivered in disgust, and I think we all pretty much agreed with her. Keiko had to be the most perverted person I have ever met before. 'Is this what all girls are really like on the inside?' No, no, it had to have just been Keiko, right?

Then after regaining her composure Connie began to shake in anger. "Vous êtes la plus vile, la plus méprisable, plus perverses, plus sagaces, femme la plus insupportable que j'ai jamais rencontré! Je souhaite que je n'avait jamais, jamais tombé en amour avec vous!" (Translation: "You are the vilest, the most despicable, the most perverse, the shrewdest, and the most unbearable woman that I have ever met! I wish that I had never, ever fallen in love with you!") Connie must have really been pissed off as she screamed at Keiko in her native tongue. She screamed so loud that her voice bounced off the walls of the entrance hall, echoing over and over again. She had gone completely red in the face and I could see tears starting to well up in her face. It was an interesting sight to see. I always thought that Connie was a free spirit who didn't let anything ever get her down, but it turns out that she had a real temper when people endlessly pushed her buttons. And Keiko just wouldn't stop pushing.

We all looked kind of shocked at Connie's sudden outburst, but none more so than Keiko. She was totally speechless. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. And then after a few moments of silence, besides Connie's endless panting from trying to catch her breath, Keiko's expression changed from surprise to sorrow. "I'm sorry," she simply said as she handed Connie her top hat back.

Connie snatched it from Keiko's hands and then placed her top hat back on her head, while giving Keiko a nasty look. "I shouldn't even bother. You're right, you are vraiment pathétique," Connie spat out at Keiko. And then she turned to walk away from her, but then suddenly Keiko grabbed ahold of Connie's arm and forced her to look her in the eyes. Connie was still crying tears of frustration as she stared back at Keiko's expressionless eyes.

And then Keiko surprised her by suddenly saying, "Ne pleure pas, vous êtes trop mignon à pleurer." (Translation: "Don't cry, you're too cute to cry.")

Connie gasped. "Vous parlez François?!" (Translation: "You speak French?!")

Keiko didn't change her serious expression but she nodded up and down in response to Connie's question. "Je l'ai pris comme une langue secondaire, il y a quelques années. Je ne voulais pas vous dire parce que je pensais que c'était mignon la façon dont vous essayez de cacher vos pensées personnelles dans votre langue maternelle." (Translation: "I took it as a secondary language a few years back. I just didn't tell you because I thought it was cute how you would try to hide your personal thoughts in your native language.") And then Keiko giggled and smiled at Connie. "Et aussi j'ai voulu jouer avec vous un peu plus tard." (Translation: "And also I wanted to mess with you a little later on.")

And then Connie's surprise turned to sorrow. "Si vous avez entendu tout ce que j'ai dit? Chaque insulte je l'ai dit, chaque nom que je vous appelle?" (Translation: "So you heard everything I said? Every single insult I said, every single name I called you?")

Keiko nodded. "Oui vous avez jeté sur un peu d'épaisseur, n'est-ce pas?" she replied with a chuckle. (Translation: "Yeah you laid it on a little thick, didn't you?") Then she frowned again. "Mais je mérite tout cela et plus pour la façon dont je vous a traité. Vous avez essayé de me remonter le moral et m'encourager et à son tour, je n'ai fait taquiner et vous rabaisser. Je suis désolé Connie-chan, je ne voulais pas te blesser." (Translation: "But I deserved all that and more for the way I treated you. You were trying to cheer me up and encourage me and in turn all I did was tease and belittle you. I'm sorry Connie-chan, I didn't mean to hurt you.")

Connie dried her tears and then kneeled down on the floor so she was eye-level with Keiko again. She smiled warmly at her. "Je sais que vous n'avez pas ce qu'ils disent. Vous venez d'être votre habitude dragueuse, quoique légèrement perverti de l'auto-portrait. Et je suis désolé j'ai dit toutes ces choses désagréables sur vous. J'étais juste en colère que vous avez pris mon chapeau. Vous voyez, c'est très spécial pour moi alors je ne veux plus jamais que d'être sans elle. Mais ce n'est pas une excuse pour se cassant à vous comme je l'ai fait." (Translation: "I know you didn't mean anything by it. You were just being your usual flirty, albeit slightly perverted self. And I'm sorry I said all those nasty things about you. I was just upset that you took my hat. You see, it's very special to me so I don't ever like to be without it. But that's no excuse for snapping at you the way I did.")

Keiko smiled mischievously again. "Mais vous savez, je suis heureux de vous laisser sortir toutes vos émotions comme ça. Parce que maintenant je sais comment vous sentez vraiment, ma mignonne petite Connie-chan." (Translation: "But you know, I'm kind of glad you let out all your emotions like that. Because now I know how you really feel, my cute little Connie-chan.") Keiko affectionately rubbed Connie's cheek with her hand, making Connie blush in response.

Connie tried to look away from Keiko. "Je ne sais pas de quoi vous parlez. Je veux que notre relation soit strictement platonique. Rien de plus." (Translation: "I don't know what you're talking about. I want our relationship to be strictly platonic. Nothing more.")

Keiko wouldn't have it, and forced Connie to look her in the eyes. "Vous ne pouvez pas vous cacher de moi, Connie-chan. Je sais que votre sale petit secret maintenant. Pas étonnant, que tu ne voulais pas me faire si près de Aya-chan, et m'a donné comme un temps approximatif pour profiter de ce baiser avec Junko-chan. Vous m'aimez ~," she said in a sing-song voice. (Translation: "You can't hide from me, Connie-chan. I know your dirty little secret now. No wonder, you didn't want me getting so close to Aya-chan, and gave me such a rough time for enjoying that kiss with Junko-chan. You love me ~.")

Connie shook her head furiously. "Idiot! La ferme, je ne vois pas!" (Translation: "Idiot! Shut up, I do not!")

Keiko didn't let up, she just continued to snicker. "Oui, vous ne vous l'avez vraiment mauvais pour moi. L'admettre." (Translation: "Yes you do, you've got it really bad for me. Admit it.")

Connie refused to let Keiko get the better of her though. "Je ne vous aiment pas!" (Translation: "I do not love you!")

"Faire trop ~," Keiko chimed. (Translation: "Do too ~.")

"Ne pas!" Connie replied. Then it sort of just went back and forth from there. (Translation: "Do not!")

"Oui, vous ne ~." (Translation: "Yes you do ~.")

"Ne pas!"

"N ~." (Translation: "Do ~.")

"Ne pas!"

"Vous le faire ~." (Translation: "You do so ~.")

"Non, non, non, non! Combien de fois dois-je dire?! Je ne vous aiment pas! Pas du tout!" Connie shouted. At this point it was kind of hard to tell if her cheeks were red and puffy from frustration or just plain embarrassment. (Translation: "No, no, no, no! How many times do I have to say it?! I do not love you! Not one bit!")

Then Keiko sighed and gave up. "Tant pis, c'est une véritable honte. Vous le savez, non pas que vous le dites. Je commençais à penser qu'il pourrait être genre de nice pour s'installer avec une véritable amie comme un changer de d'habitude." (Translation: "Oh well, that's a real shame. You know, not that you mention it. I was starting to think that it might be kind of nice to settle down with an actual girlfriend as a change of pace.")

Connie's eyes seemed to light up. "Au sérieux?!" (Translation: "Seriously?!")

Keiko smiled mischievously. "A vous!" (Translation: "Gotcha!")

Connie gasped at the realization that she had been tricked and then after a few moments of loud whining, panicky murmurs, she calmed down and took a deep breath. And then she said, "D'accord, okay, je l'admets." She sighed and rubbed her shoulder as she searched for her words. "J'aimerais que vous n'êtes pas qu'une amie. Je ne suis pas vraiment sûr que sur tous les détails mais je suis sûr qu'au moins. C'est vraiment bizarre, je n'ai jamais ressenti de cette façon sur une autre fille auparavant. J'ai toujours pensé que j'étais tout droit jusqu'à ce que je vous ai rencontré. Il y a juste quelque chose sur vous, Keiko. Je ne peux pas l'expliquer, je sais juste que chaque fois que vous souriez à moi, ou me disent que je suis mignon, ou même m'embrasser, je me sens si heureux. Si la voie que j'éprouve pour vous n'est pas l'amour, alors je ne sais pas ce qu'est l'amour pour commencer." (Translation: "Alright fine, I admit it. I like you okay? I like you as more than a friend. I'm not really sure on all the particulars but I'm sure of that at least. It's really weird, I've never felt this way about another girl before. I've always thought I was straight until I met you. There's just something about you, Keiko. I can't explain it, I just know that every time you smile at me, or tell me I'm cute, or even hug me, I feel so happy. If the way I feel about you isn't love, then I don't know what love is to begin with.")

Keiko seemed smitten. "Oh, mon mignon, peu de Connie-chan. Être toujours mon coeur. Pourquoi ne pas vous venez de me dire que vous avez eu des sentiments pour moi? Pourquoi avez-vous eu à garder m'envoyer tous les signaux contradictoires?" (Translation: "Aww, my cute, little Connie-chan. Be still my heart. Why couldn't you just tell me that you had feelings for me? Why did you have to keep sending me all those mixed signals?")

Connie's blush deepened. "Parce que je ne voulais pas être une autre fille que vous avez une aventure avec. Je veux quelque chose de plus, je veux que l'amour vrai, pas un arbre que je finis par regretter plus tard. Mais vous avez fait qu'il est très évident que vous n'êtes pas ce genre de personne, alors je vais simplement passer à autre chose." Connie tried to get up to leave again but Keiko grabbed ahold of her to stop her once again. (Translation: "Because I didn't want to just be another girl that you have a fling with. I want something more, I want true love, not some hookup that I end up regretting later. But you've made it very apparent that you're not that kind of person, so I'll just have to move on.")

Keiko seemed really serious at this point. "Attendre. Vous devriez savoir que ce n'est pas comment j'ai toujours été; j'étais en fait dans une relation très engagé depuis longtemps lorsque j'ai vécu en Amérique." Then her expression turned sorrowful. "Mais il s'est mal terminée… très mal. Depuis, j'ai tellement eu peur de se lancer dans une relation avec quelqu'un d'autre parce que je ne veux pas que l'histoire se répéter. Mais si vous devez le savoir, je crois que j'ai des sentiments pour toi aussi, Connie-chan. Je me sens comme si je pourrais essayer de vraiment tomber en amour encore une fois, il ne pourrait être avec vous. En ce moment, les yeux dans ces magnifiques et mystérieux yeux orange, je sens mon cœur battant. C'est ce que entre nous, je pense que je pense qu'il à. C'est un lien particulier qui est caché en profondeur. Quand je te regarde, quelque chose dans ma tête juste crie que c'est la fille que vous êtes destiné à être avec. Vous n'hésitez pas à sortir avec moi?" (Translation: "Wait. You should know that this isn't how I've always been; I was actually in a very committed relationship for a long time when I lived in America. But it ended badly…very badly. So since then I've been scared to get into a relationship with anyone else because I don't want history to repeat itself. But if you must know, I think I have feelings for you too, Connie-chan. I feel like if I could try to really fall in love again, it could only be with you. Right now, staring into those beautiful and mysterious orange eyes, I can feel my heart fluttering. Whatever you feel between us, I think I feel it too. It's a special connection that's hidden deep down. When I look at you, something in my head just screams that this is the girl you're meant to be with. So will you please go out with me?")

Connie's eyes widened. "Qu'avez-vous dit?!" (Translation: "What did you say?!")

Keiko smiled at her. "Vous m'avez entendu, personne d'autre ne peut comprendre nous, maintenant il n'y a donc pas de pression. Sortir avec moi, s'il vous plaît." (Translation: "You heard me, nobody else can understand us right now so there's no pressure. Go out with me, please.")

Connie stayed silent for a minute. She looked like she was seriously contemplating something. And then finally she groaned and said, "Ugh, avez-vous promettre que vous serez fidèle?" (Translation: "Ugh, do you promise that you'll be faithful?")

Keiko giggled. "Aussi longtemps que j'ai mon mignon, peu de Connie-chan je n'avais pas besoin d'autre fille. Je jure que je ne seront jamais, jamais tricher sur vous." Keiko crossed her heart. "Traverser mon cœur et l'espoir de mourir." (Translation: "As long as I have my cute, little Connie-chan I don't need any other girl. I swear, that I will never, ever cheat on you. Cross my heart and hope to die.")

Connie raised one of her eyebrows. "Pas même flirter avec les autres filles?" (Translation: "Not even flirt with any other girls?")

Keiko chuckled awkwardly and then sweatdropped. "Et bien…" (Translation: "Well…")

Connie sighed in weariness. "L'oublier." (Translation: "Forget it.")

But before she could leave, Keiko wrapped both of her arms around Connie's torso. "Attendez! Attendez! Attendez! Bien oui! Je promets que je ne vais pas flirter avec les autres filles! Connie-chan est le seul que j'ai besoin!" (Translation: "Wait! Wait! Wait! Okay yes! I promise that I won't flirt with any other girls! Connie-chan is the only one I need!")

Connie smiled. "D'accord, je vais aller avec vous." (Translation: "Alright then, I'll go out with you.")

Keiko jumped up off the floor and then fist pumped at the air. "Ouais! La victoire!" Then she turned to Connie and grabbed both her shoulders. "Laissez-maintenant nous scellons l'accord!" Keiko leaned in and puckered up, expecting Connie to kiss her, only to be greeted with the palm of Connie's gloved right hand instead. Connie pushed Keiko's head away until she released her from her grasp. (Translation: "Yes! Victory! Now let's seal the deal!")

Then Connie shook her head in defiance. "Non, nous nous connaissons moins d'un jour. C'est manière trop tôt pour cela. Au moins attendre un peu avant que vous commencez à obtenir physique." (Translation: "No, we've known each other less than a day. It's way too soon for any of that. At least wait a little while before you start getting physical.")

Keiko pouted and gave Connie a pleading look. "S'il vous plaît, un petit baiser? Si vous bénissez-moi avec qui puis je obtenir le courage de relever tout défi qui se dresse sur notre chemin." (Translation: "Please, one little kiss? If you bless me with that then I'll obtain the courage to take on any challenge that stands in our way.")

Connie face palmed herself and sighed in defeat. "Bon, vous dire ce que. Si vous résoudre cette énigme dans les dix secondes, je vais vous embrasser pour aussi longtemps que vous voulez une fois que nous avons tous sortir d'ici comme une récompense. Mais il doit être dans les 10 secondes exactement, pas de tergiversations. Dix secondes pour résoudre l'énigme et entrer le code, puis dix secondes pour faire votre chemin à travers la sortie. Vous n'avez que et le baiser est la vôtre." Then Connie giggled in delight. "Mais comme vous avez dit auparavant, vous avez eu mal à comprendre exactement ce que la réponse à l'énigme est donc je pense que ce sera facile à mon…" (Translation: "Okay, tell you what. If you solve that riddle within ten seconds, I'll kiss you for however long you want once we all get out of here as a reward. But it has to be within ten seconds exactly, no dilly-dallying. Ten seconds to solve the riddle and enter the code, and then ten seconds to make your way through the exit. You do that and the kiss is yours. But like you said before, you've been having trouble figuring out just what the answer to the riddle is so I think this will easily be my…")

Keiko cut her off by shouting in her native tongue at the top of her lungs, "I…WANT…THAT…KISS!" Keiko raced over to the access panel on the wall next to the exit and furiously smashed out the code to the door. Within a few moments a loud electronic _*beep*_ filled the entrance hall and then the large vaulted door began to slowly open up a little crack. Keiko turned to Connie and blew a kiss in her direction. Then she winked at her and said, "Like I said, all I needed was a little courage. Don't hold me up, I can't wait to claim my prize." Then Keiko slipped through the door crack and within a few seconds the door shut tight behind her. She had done it. Keiko had actually made it outside.

But at that point our primary focus was Connie. We all stayed silent for a few moments before Cam acknowledged the elephant in the room. "You're major lez chow. You know that, right?"

Connie sighed and nodded. "But, I made a deal. I have to honor it, no?"

"I had no idea that Akasaka-senpai knew French too. What all were you two talking about anyway?" Aya asked.

Connie sighed again. "Knowing Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts, you'll probably find out le moment we get outside. Subtlety is not her specialty, no?"

"No arguments there. It's obvious from her outburst that you agreed to kiss her if she solved the riddle correctly, but other than that you're in the clear, right?" Nate asked.

Connie ignored Nate and held her heart tightly. "My turn isn't for quite a while so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to les toilettes. I need to calm my nerves and prepare my heart." Connie was so red in the face she looked like she was about to pass out.

"Umm, my turn isn't until later too. Why don't I come with you, Takemi-san?" Sawa asked out of concern.

Connie forced a smile and nodded. "That would be much appreciated Mademoiselle Sylvie."

"Sylvie?" Sawa repeated. "Hmm, you're going to have to explain that one to me. I read _Alice in Wonderland_ when I was younger but I don't remember a character with that name."

"In due time, but for now could I…?" Connie looked like she was about to fall over and motioned for Sawa to help support her.

"Oh sure," Sawa walked over to Connie and wrapped her right arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's try our best to unfrazzle you."

Connie chuckled weakly. "Merci, Mademoiselle Sylvie." And then the two girls trudged out of the entrance hall and made their way to the girls' restroom.

"Geez, Keiko must have wiped her out," said Nate.

"What do you expect? That woman is obviously a handful, Takemi must have the patience of a saint to deal with someone like her," Yasuke replied.

"I wonder what they were saying anyway," said Beigoma.

"What are you guys talking about? Didn't you see the subtitles?" I asked.

"…" the others looked at me in confusion.

"Subtitles?" Izuru repeated.

"Yeah, there were subtitles for everything they said to each other. You guys didn't see them?"

"…" I could tell that their silence meant no.

"And…you guys don't know what I'm talking about do you?" I replied.

Nodaka stuck her hand to my forehead and checked my temperature. "You still feel a little warm, but no more than usual. Is your head still hurting from your collision with dog b…I mean Komaeda earlier?" Nodaka asked.

"No, I'm fine. I guess, I'm just seeing things. I must be more tired than I thought," I replied.

Nodaka still looked concerned. "If you say so, just try to take it easy okay. Don't concentrate on anything too much, and tell me immediately if you start to feel wonky."

"You got it," I replied. 'Did she seriously not see them?' I thought to myself. 'And the others too? I'm the only one who understood what they were saying?' Weird. But just another typical day in this crazy world I had found myself in.

"Well whatever it was, it's none of our business. If they wanted us to know they would've spoken in a way we could understand," said Micho, acting as the voice of reason.

Jonathan peered over Jose's shoulder to see what he was scribbling down in his journal. "Did you seriously write down that whole conversation?"

Jose nodded and said, "Yep," without taking his pen off the journal pages.

"But you don't even speak French," Jonathan replied. Then he cut himself off. "Wait a minute, do you?"

Jose shook his head and then when he was finished writing he put down his pen and gave Jonathan his full attention. "Nope, I was going to have it translated later. I record everything, remember? Even personal conversations."

"I'm starting to wonder if your talent is more invading than it is fastidious," said Micho in a concerned tone.

"You're probably right, but I just can't help myself," Jose replied. Then he looked to the door and then back at Micho. "Aren't you going to go, Auruka-san?"

Micho seemed surprised. "Oh right! I'm up next aren't I? I'll go on ahead." Micho walked up to the accesses panel and then entered the code. And a few moments later a blaring alarm went off throughout the school. We turned to look at Micho. "I swear, I entered it right! I don't know what's going on!" she shouted over the alarm.

Then after a few moments the alarm began to deafen a little and the monitor in the entrance hall turned on by itself. When fully turned on, the monitor tuned into a video feed of Monokuma sitting in a large golden, Monokuma head-shaped throne. He was sipping on a fruity looking drink while chuckling in his usual mischievous way. " _*Upupupupupupupupu*_.Do not be alarmed my little students. Well okay, maybe be a little alarmed. A blaring siren goes off and you should automatically think that you're in deep shit, should you not? Anyway this is a little surprise I put up just to make things a little bit more interesting for the escape. So I'll skip the rest of the demeaning stuff I planned to say to you guys and just spell it out loud and clear for you. You have twenty tries to open the door, one for each of you. You have ten seconds to get through the door when it opens before it closes again. You must wait five minutes after one person leaves before attempting to open the door again. In other words, to get everyone safely out of the academy you have to patiently wait a grand total one-hundred minutes. Now as for the warning alarms that are currently going off, they're signaling that the surprise I left for you guys is going to go off real soon."

"Go off?" Shiro repeated Monokuma's words in confusion until his eyes went wide with fear. "Oh my God, don't tell me he's actually planning to…?!"

Monokuma chuckled. "That's right," he said in a demeaning way, as if he anticipated what Shiro was going to say. "I made a series of bombs during my time here and scattered them all around the school, in only the best and most ingenious hiding places, and before I left I armed them so that they would begin to count down to your destruction as soon as you all opened the door to your freedom, looks like the only one who managed to make it out scot free was Keiko-chan. Tough break for the rest of you though you're all trapped in there and awaiting your doom. And unfortunately that's all you can do in your positions. Wait. I've hidden the bombs oh so well so it's a waste to go and try to find them, plus they're tamper proof and can only be disarmed by me, their maker. And unfortunately I've already left the building." Monokuma chuckled again.

"But don't worry, I'm not so black hearted to just leave you all in there to die, you can still escape through the door. Except now, you've got to be really quick about it. Like I said before, you've got to wait a total of one-hundred minutes to get everyone safely out of the academy, and Micho-chan was the one who set off the bombs' so now you should have approximately ninety-five minutes to escape. The bombs are set to blow in ninety-seven minutes. Ergo, you all have to move with demonic speed if you all want to get out of here in one piece. Two whole minutes stand between you and annihilation…startiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggg now!" Suddenly the vaulted door cracked open once again allowing another person to leave.

I turned to Micho and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Run, Auruka-san, run!" Micho nodded and then sped out of the academy as fast as she could, while a panicked expression remained on her face. And then a few seconds later the door closed again.

"Have a fun time, sayonara bitches," Monokuma said before the monitor's power cut off.

"Is he fucking serious?! Bombs are going to go off and we have to wait here for five freaking minutes?!" Jonathan shouted in fear.

"Arrgh dammit, I can't take much more of this!" Nate exclaimed as he pulled at his hair in frustration. Suddenly he started to stir crazy and threw himself at the vaulted door. "Let us out of here! Let us out right now!" He pounded against the steel surface of the vault door so hard that it seemed like Nate was almost trying to break through it. Of course, that was impossible. The only thing he was doing was senselessly beating against the door and damaging his hands in the process. And when Nate finally broke his skin and started to bleed from his hands, Yasuke pulled him back and stopped him from going any further.

"Get ahold of yourself! You heard what he said, the rules still stand even with this extra shit he's forced on us! We have to wait before we can use the door again! Acting up and breaking your hands isn't going to do anything!" Yasuke shouted in Nate's face, in an effort to knock some sense into him.

Nate forced himself away from Yasuke's clutches and then turned around to kick the wall behind him. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he grunted furiously.

"Is this my fault? Is he doing this because I suggested it earlier?" Shiro asked in a fearful tone.

"Don't try to psych yourself out, the little bear bastard said that he set this up before he left. He couldn't have heard what you said," Deva reassured Shiro. He put his hand on Shiro's shoulder. "You're a man aren'tcha?"

Shiro nodded silently.

"Then you've got to man up. Don't get scared, get pissed. Take peach fuzz over there for example," Deva motioned to Nate, was still absent mindedly kicking at the wall.

"He's sacred sure, but he's not letting it show. Instead, he's forcing all his frustration into anger and aggression and trying to blow it off in a healthful way. Bottle up your emotions and let it turn into rage, because if there is one thing for sure that these sick Ultimate Despair fucks deserve its rage. Don't let them get into your head, kick them out of there. Imagine beating the shit out of every last one of them and then you'll truly understand how you should be feeling right now," Deva explained.

"You're angry too?" Shiro asked.

Deva beat his right fist into his left hand. "I'm pissed. I'm right there where peach fuzz is, maybe even beyond that. I swear to me, as soon as we get out of here I'm going to take freckles' example and kick the shit out of some fucking robot teddy bears. I don't care what that little shit does to me afterwards, nobody does this shit to Soshun Murasame. That Masterfuck is going to regret the day he was born when I'm done wailing on his sorry ass. You're with me too, right puzzles?"

"Puzzles?" Shiro sweatdropped.

"Got a problem with that!" Deva shouted at him.

"N-No sir!" Shiro stuttered out.

Deva heartedly laughed "At a boy!" and then slapped Shiro real hard on the back, making the latter wince in pain. "We're going to kick Monokuma's furry little ass! You're with me too, right Dr. Know it All?" Deva said to Yasuke.

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Yasuke replied sternly. "But if you must know it's taking every fiber of my being to hold back my rage. If you want to kick the shit out of Monokuma then you can definitely count me in."

"Same here," Jonathan said. "As much as I am nitpicky I'm not really an aggressive guy. But something about Ultimate Despair and that bitch Jun, just sets me on edge. I feel like I won't be satisfied until every last one of them is destroyed. I hate them so much, it's kind of hard to see straight when I think about them," he said as he clenched his fists.

"I hate them too," said Nagito. "I hated them as much as I hated myself for joining them, even if it wasn't willingly. But trust me, when the Ultimate Hope appears they will smite Ultimate Despair and all those who follow the path of Junko Enoshima down to the deepest pits of hell. There will be no justice in the world until every last one of those monsters is dead." Nagito motioned to himself, Izuru, and Mukuro. "The three of us included. This won't be finished until we're dead as well."

"Though I do not share your attitude towards self-sacrifice I can share your feelings towards Ultimate Despair. Junko was convinced that despair was chaos and hope was order, and she tried to convince me that I could not have uncertainty in my life unless I embraced despair. Seven years have passed and the world is still moving towards that boring ending I foresaw long ago. And in return all I received from her was a mind-numbing headache. I won't stop until Ultimate Despair is no more," said Izuru.

"Azami-tan doesn't want to fight Ultimate Despair hebi. She just wants to go home hebi. She wants to be as far from this place and these horrible people as possible hebi. She never ever wants to feel despair again hebi," said Azami.

"Same here, I'm sick of all of this. We've only been here a day and it's felt like an eternity," said Chihiro. "I just want to go back to a time when things made since. When I would hang out with my friends and just feel good to be alive. But instead, we're all trapped here. God knows where." Chihiro rested her head against Cam's shoulder. She looked really tired, her eyes seemed very heavy.

"We'll get out of here soon Chihiro-chan, don't worry," Cam said as he held onto Chihiro tightly.

"I…I understand where you're all coming from. You're right, despair really is nothing to be celebrated. And yet I remember that even at one point, I was just like Junko was. I reveled in despair. I enjoyed watching others suffer, I enjoyed making them suffer. I despaired the world, inside and out just like Junko. And yet, now that she's finally gone it's weird…I feel at peace. It's probably awful saying this about my own sister, but I'm truly glad she's dead. I loved her, I know I did. I cried and mourned for her. And before everything I did was to fill her with despair just like she wanted. But now I feel as light as air. As if a great burden's been lifted from my shoulders." Mukuro sighed. "I really am a terrible sister." She looked downtrodden.

"No, you're not a terrible sister. The pain you feel, the anger you have, it's all natural." Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Connie and Sawa had returned from the restroom so I continued on with what I was going to say. "Everyone listen to me. It's okay to feel scared, it's okay to be angry, it's okay to be tired of all of this nonsense. But we've got to remember, no matter what. We cannot falter, we cannot give into temptation. We cannot…" I struggled to get the last word out, "…kill." I shook my head. "Definitely not. We've got remember that the world we want to return to is gone. Ultimate Despair has taken all that we held precious from us. They did that years ago, while we were off God knows where. There is no reason behind fighting each other in this crazy place. It's us versus them, they only want us to think that it's us versus each other. The only way we're going to get through this nightmare is if we all stick together. We have to have complete faith in one another from now on. All of you are my friends, my precious friends. And I don't want to lose any of you. We'll get through this somehow. We'll find another way. We will leave this place together, all of us together. Trust me, I don't want to hurt any of you. And I know that none of you want to hurt me either, I trust you guys. My life is in your hands. So let's work together to survive and live on together as friends."

I looked around at the others. Their smiles had returned, and their eyes were no longer filled with doubt, anger, or weariness. They were filled with hope. Each and every one of them had a hope that despair would not snuff out. They wanted to live. They wanted to work together as well. They were all with me, I could feel it. And then I felt another warm sensation. Nodaka's soft left hand, locked together with my right one. She gave me a loving squeeze, and I returned it.

I looked to her and saw that she was smiling at me just like the others. "You always know just what to say. It's been like that since we were little. Your inner light's so bright that you fill everyone around you with hope. That's one of the many reasons why I love you, Akira."

I returned her smile. "I love you too Nodaka. Always have, always will." And then everything else faded around us. It was just the two of us. Me and the girl I loved. Then slowly we leaned and our lips met for the third time that day. But our kiss only lasted a second before we realized that we were not alone at all. I looked around at the others and saw that their renewed looks of hope had been replaced with that of surprise.

"So, looks like you guys are good now, eh?" said Sawa.

"Finally, I couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore. I was starting to think I was the only one who noticed it," said Nate. Nate flashed me a thumb's up. "Nice work, dude! You got yourself a real cutie too!"

Nodaka glared at him. "He's the only one who can call me cute," she spat at him.

"Geez, once a harpy always a harpy, eh?" Nate said with a sweatdrop.

"Eh, personally I would've gone with a younger girl. Cute little kohais will usually do anything to impress their senpai," Deva remarked.

Before I knew it Nodaka had let go of my hand and disappeared from my side in a flash, and then she suddenly appeared next to Deva and then went on to ball her right hand into a fist and collide it with Deva's left cheek. Nodaka's punch struck Deva's jaw with such force that it knocked him clear across the room and made him crash into the wall hard. When he landed he appeared to be dazed and seeing stars, and meanwhile Nodaka stood in place, her fist still balled up, and her body shaking in anger. "Mind your own damn business you freak of nature! If he says he loves me then that's the end of it!" Then she turned to look at the others. "Anybody else got a problem with the two of us being together?!"

Everyone shook their heads in fear…everyone except Beigoma, who stood her ground and simply glared at Nodaka.

Nodaka scoffed. "Didn't think so." And then came back to my side and took hold of my hand once again. I gave her a bewildered look and she simply returned my look with an innocent smile. 'I'm starting to remember why I wasn't very popular growing up. Hanging around a demon all the time is not beneficial to living a long and happy life.' Out of fear for my own safety I awkwardly returned her smile.

"Um guys?" Jose spoke up. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're back to your usual jokey selves but…" Jose held up his e-handbook, which was set to the current time, "…it's almost time."

"It will have been five minutes since Mademoiselle Carpenter left, in about twenty seconds," Connie explained.

"You mean Auruka-san, right?" Sawa asked, to which Connie nodded in reply. "But how do you know the time down to the exact second? I didn't see you look at your e-handbook, or even check one of your watches."

"These are just for show," Connie replied with a chuckle. "I always know what time it is; I don't have to check anything to know I'm right. It will be five minutes exactly in…trois, deux, un…now." And no sooner than Connie had said it, the time on Jose's e-handbook had gone up one minute, making us all gasp in amazement. "It is a Takemi Time Keeper's job to always be aware of the time." Connie turned to Nate. "Now Monsieur Dodo, partez!" she shouted.

"That means go, right?" Nate asked.

"Partez!" Connie shouted as she pointed at the door.

"Right, right!" Nate scrambled to the access panel and hurriedly entered the code for the door. Then in a few seconds vault door was opened again and Nate slipped out. Then a few seconds later the door closed again and we were forced to wait another five minutes.

"Mes amis, put your e-handbooks away. Obsessing over le time will just make you worry and dread about each passing minute, no?" Connie asked. She smiled and said in a prideful way, "Time is my talent, just leave l'obsession to me."

And so we did as Connie asked of us and let her handle the time situation for us. Each time another interval to open the door came Connie alerted us immediately, which allowed us to remain calm and not obsess over every single second that passed. It was amazing to say the least. When we first heard about the bombs we were all immediately filled with despair, but thanks to Connie's intervening, the time we were forced to spend still locked in the academy actually flew by. While we waited for Connie to inform us of the time we all just mindlessly chatted instead of letting our fear and dread eat away at us. And Connie's insight of time was incredible, all she did was close her eyes and focus, and then when time was almost up she would open them and inform us. It was almost like she was counting each second in time with an actual clock. The power of the Ultimate Horologist was really something else. If it weren't for Connie, the time we were forced to spend in there probably would've felt a lot longer. But instead it practically flew by…until finally it was my turn.

I stood before the access panel and thought of all the others who were outside waiting for me. Keiko, Micho, Nate, Chihiro, Jose, Nodaka, Azami, Jonathan, Mukuro, Izuru, Aya, Beigoma, and Nagito. Each one of them had been able to successfully solve the riddle and gain their freedom, and now it was my turn. I stared at the access panel, it was a simple green screen that had a touchscreen keyboard. I hesitated before inputting the code.

 **Flashback:**

" _The riddle is actually very simple," said Micho. "All you need to do is pick one part of it that makes sense to you and find the answer to that, and then the answer to the part of the riddle will be the answer for the whole riddle. So think very carefully about what the riddle is saying."_

" _I'm more powerful than God," said Yasuke._

" _I'm more evil than the Devil," said Izuru._

" _The poor have me," said Jonathan._

" _The rich need me," said Beigoma._

" _And if you eat me, you will die. What am I?" Micho asked._

I knew the answer, after thinking it over and over, I finally realized it. The answer really was simple, so simple that I could not for the life of me figure out what it was. But all that was important was that I knew the answer now. "You are…" I typed in the seven letters to the code for the door, "…nothing." Then I pressed enter and a few seconds later the door opened for me as well. Before I left I looked back to the others who had still yet to cross through. Yasuke, Deva, Sawa, Shiro, Connie, and Cam. "See you on the other side, guys," I said to them and then I slipped through the crack in the door just as it closed behind me. And there I was, finally outside the academy.

It was funny, I had only been trapped inside that building for a day and yet it felt almost like an eternity in hell. But none of that mattered anymore now, I was free. I was free of that school of despair at last, I could put all that nonsense in the back of my head and just pretend like it had all been a bad dream. As soon I smelt the fresh air of the outside world, and felt the sun's rays and the brisk October air on my skin I knew I would be okay. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of the nightmare. The world that I had seen outside of the main school building, all those years ago was gone. Completely gone. The earth was scorched and burned, littered in rubble, barbed wire, and military grade weapons and bullets, almost like a warzone. The sky was clouded and completely hidden by a thick shroud of dust and smoke, so thick that I could barely see where I was going. For a full minute I just stood at the base of the large vaulted door, unable to move from the sheer shock of the landscape that lied beyond it. In the far distance I could make out the ruins of the old Hope's Peak Academy. The class buildings, the halls of varying student subjects, the decimated student dorm area, and the courtyard that connected the two halves of Hope's Peak Academy, the main school and the Reserve Department course. It was once lush with canopy and flowers, and had a sparkling water fountain that sat right in the center of it all. The fountain had since stopped flowing and had begun to crumble from wear and tear, and what little water that was in there was dark brown with pollution and littered with garbage.

After seeing the decimation of the main school campus I knew that the Reserve course campus would have been just the same, if not even worse off. Yet, I chanced a look anyway and was startled with a terrible sight. Dead bodies…well not bodies so much anymore, more like skeletons that were on their way to becoming dust. There had to have been at least twenty I could make out from where I was standing, but I had no doubt that there had to have been more. The stench coming from that direction was too putrid to have been caused by so little death. And I could barely make out the tattered remains of the clothes that the skeletons were once wearing, but I was still able to recognize it because I had worn the same clothes so long ago, but yet that only seemed like last week.

It was the Reserve Department course school uniform. Black and Gray dress suits for the guys and black and gray dress clothes for the girls. All the corpses belonged to Reserve Department course students, and for all I knew my classmates were littered somewhere in that mass grave that had consumed the whole school area. It was the strangest thing, the corpses were all lined up in bunches against the school building, some of them had twisted necks and others had broken skulls. It was almost like they had jumped from the roof of the school building. But I knew that couldn't be the whole story, Ultimate Despair had to have played some part in that. For all I knew, it could have been a mass execution staged to look like a mass suicide. Or maybe I was wrong, and they just killed themselves to escape the horrible nightmare that this world had become.

"Is this…is this really the outside world?" I asked myself. I received no reply save from the bleak silence of the barren plane I had found myself in.

"I can't just stand here all day; I've got to find the others. Where could they have gone?" I figured it was best to just ignore the strange phenomena for now and press forward. I crept through the dense cloud of smoke and dust to make my way across the ruins of the path that once led to the school gate, tiptoeing around any barbed wire and blood spills that blocked my path. I walked and walked and walked for God knows how long. I could have been going in circles for I all I knew due to not being able to see right in front of me. And then finally I saw the outline of the school gate in the distance, and I ran forward. Then when I reached the school gate I was met with a crudely made sign that seemed out of place compared to the rest of the carnage, which was how I knew Monokuma had left it for us. It read:

 _Welcome to Despairadise, the most f***ed up place on Earth!_

Then there was a crudely painted arrow underneath it that pointed straight ahead to the outside of the school gate. And underneath it read:

 _Meeting place at big oak tree, straight ahead._

I grunted in frustration. "Dammit I'm about sick of this! Guys where are you?! Guys?!" I shouted as I ran out of the Hope's Peak Academy campus. And then suddenly…I ran face first into a metal door. After landing on my back, I picked myself up and made sure that my nose wasn't broken. And then I saw that a familiar face was printed on the metal door. Monokuma, he just loved to put his face on everything. "Safe bet this is the place." I looked to the right of the door and saw that there was an e-handbook reader used to access the door. With little hesitation, I pulled out my e-handbook and then slid it into the e-handbook reader, making the red light on it turn green in reply. The metal door opened and I stepped into a narrow hallway. Then the metal door closed behind me, leaving me trapped in the narrow area. Then suddenly a loud electronic-sounding voice rang out overhead.

 _Identification verified._

 _Akira Maita, 17_

 _Title: Ultimate Wannabe_

 _Previous class: Reserve course class 77-B_

 _Commence scanning…_

Then a blue light developed the room and a * _buzzing*_ sound filled the air, and then a few seconds later the blue light vanished and the voice returned.

 _Initial scan complete._

 _Now presenting key collar. Hold still please._

Suddenly a pair of robotic hands appeared out of holes in the ceiling and placed something around my neck before I could even react. I heard an electronic * _click*_ and then felt around my neck. I was now wearing a small electronic collar that was fastened tightly around my neck.

 _Commencing explanation of key collar._

 _Please, do not try to remove key collar as it will act as your ticket into the game. If you choose to tamper with your key collar you will be severely punished by Headmaster Monokuma. Do not fear, the key collars are beneficial to you as Headmaster Monokuma will explain to you later._

Then the metal door in front of me opened up.

 _You may now proceed to meeting area._

 _Please do not wander off until your entire party arrives, as Headmaster Monokuma is planning to brief you all on the rules of your stay here._

 _We hope enjoy your time in Despairadise, Mr. Akira Maita. Here's hoping you don't get killed first._

 _*Hahahahahahahahahaha*_

I ran out of the open metal door as fast as I could, and then I was greeted with yet another peculiar sight. A lush green field of grass, purple and pink twilight skies, and a warm and welcoming setting sun. The area actually looked normal for the most part, but I knew this was anything but normal. How did I know? Well for starters I was pretty sure that the sun didn't have a face on it when I looked at it seven years ago. And I was also pretty sure that the world I came from was not a small city inside a large glass dome, especially a Monokuma themed city. In the distance I could see that Monokuma had recreated the Hollywood Hills from America. The large white letters D-E-S-P-A-I-R-A-D-I-S-E overlooked the small city, as peppy J-Pop music played throughout the dome. Just another abnormal sight in the abnormal story that had become my life.

* * *

A/N: Welcome to Despairadise! I think you're all really going to like it here. Oh and if anyone asks about the dome that the setting is taking place in, I thought of doing this way before I heard Danganronpa V3 was going to do it so I did not rip it off okay.

And in other news, I'm finally on holiday break, so I'm going to make it my goal to at least get to the start of the Chapter 1 class trial by Christmas, but we'll see what happens. Thank you all for your continued support, and thanks to you, my loyal fans, we have now reached a grand total of 100 reviews. I'm happy that you all like my story so much, and I hope that you continue to read as we progress into the future. Hope you guys got through end of semester exams and tests okay, till next time.


	28. Chapter 1, Part 12

A/N: Okay first thing's first, here's the current status of the free time events poll:

Nodaka Hoshi – 5 votes

Beigoma Kiyoshi – 5 votes

Azami Jagaimo – 5 votes

Izuru Kamukura – 4 votes

Jose Historia – 4 votes

Aya Kisaragi – 3 votes

Mukuro Ikusaba – 2 votes

Sawa Nanase – 2 votes

Keiko Akasaka – 2 votes

Chihiro Fujisaki – 2 votes

Yasuke Matsuda – 1 vote

Micho Auruka – 1 vote

Jonathan Junmaru – 1 vote

Nate Baron – 1 vote

Soshun Murasame – 1 vote

Nagito Komaeda – 0 votes

Connie Takemi – 0 votes

Shiro Shirobane – 0 votes

Cam Yano – 0 votes

After this, only two more parts till we have our first free time event, so any last minute voters should be advised to go ahead and vote before it's too late. Remember, your choices shape Akira's actions outside the main story. You get to pick who you want Akira to go closer to.

Alright making an appearance in this part of Chapter 1 is an uninvited guest who has come to put a stop to all our thrilling mutual killing fun. We can't allow that, now can we. Good thing Monokuma himself will soon also be making an appearance to do away with this intruder and explain all the inner workings of Despairadise to our dear students. And we'll get to learn just what makes those key collars so important. Now are you ready to enter Despairadise? Good, then enjoy reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 12: Miaya's message**

* * *

 _Identification verified._

 _Akira Maita, 17_

 _Title: Ultimate Wannabe_

 _Previous class: Reserve course class 77-B_

 _Commence scanning…_

Then a blue light developed the room and a * _buzzing*_ sound filled the air, and then a few seconds later the blue light vanished and the voice returned.

 _Initial scan complete._

 _Now presenting key collar. Hold still please._

Suddenly a pair of robotic hands appeared out of holes in the ceiling and placed something around my neck before I could even react. I heard an electronic * _click*_ and then felt around my neck. I was now wearing a small electronic collar that was fastened tightly around my neck.

 _Commencing explanation of key collar._

 _Please, do not try to remove key collar it will act as your ticket in the game. If you choose to tamper with your key collar you will be severely punished by Headmaster Monokuma. Do not fear, the key collars are beneficial to you as Headmaster Monokuma will explain to you later._

Then the metal door in front of me opened up.

 _You may now proceed to meeting area._

 _Please do not wander off until your entire party arrives, as Headmaster Monokuma is planning to brief you the rules of your stay here._

 _We hope enjoy your time in Despairadise Mr. Akira Maita. Here's hoping you don't get killed first._

 _*Hahahahahahahahahaha*_

I ran out of the open metal door as fast as I could, and then I was greeted with yet another peculiar sight. A lush green field of grass, purple and pink twilight skies, and a warm and welcoming setting sun. The area actually looked normal for the most part, but I knew this was anything but normal. How did I know? Well for starters I was pretty sure that the sun didn't have a face on it when I looked at it seven years ago. And I was also pretty sure that the world I came from was not a small city inside a large glass dome, especially a Monokuma themed city. In the distance I could see that Monokuma had recreated the Hollywood Hills from America. The large white letters D-E-S-P-A-I-R-A-D-I-S-E overlooked the small city, as peppy J-Pop music played throughout the dome. Just another abnormal sight in the abnormal story that had become my life.

I stood upon a large hill that overlooked the unnatural setting. From what I could see, the small city appeared to be made up of a town that surrounded two large towers that stood at the center of the city, the two towers being white and black in color. White on my left side, and black on my right. Just like the color scheme of a certain, maniacal, mechanical bear. The half of the town that was on the side of the white tower looked peaceful and cheery, the roads were clean and bare and the sun seemed to shine down upon it. And towards the back of the cheery side of town I could see a large golden gate that seemed to be blocking off another area. Meanwhile, on the side of the black tower things seemed decrepit and disgusting. Half of the buildings were falling apart and appeared to be covered with mold and decay, garbage littered the streets, and the whole area seemed to be very dimly lit. It almost looked like a stereotypical bad neighborhood where gang violence was sure to occur. And beyond the bad side of town was a black iron-spiked gate that seemed intimidating as much as it was ginormous.

I could also see that both sides of the city were labeled accordingly. On the cheery side of town, the word _HOPE_ was etched out in the ground in a beautiful gold and cursive design, taking up almost all of the ground in that area. And on the bad side of town, the word _DESPAIR_ was spray painted on the cracking and filthy ground with blood red paint in a very sloppy and hard to look at writing. Then I looked up at the sky. Like I said before, the sun had a face on it. It was smiley and gleeful face that was complete with a big toothy smile. And it was currently starting to set over the horizon beyond the cheery side of town. I looked over to the bad side of town and I could make out the top of the moon beginning to show beyond its horizon. 'Well the look of them may be different but at least they still rise in the east and set in the west,' I thought to myself.

It was utterly ridiculous, Monokuma had created an entire world for us, just so we could play his stupid game. Not that I was complaining, after being inside that stuffy school building all this time it felt good to feel the sun on my skin, even if said sun was purely artificial. I also like the feature of J-Pop music playing throughout the area inside the dome, it wasn't too loud to become annoying and it didn't play the same song over and over again so it didn't become repetitive. It was almost like the gentle background music of chirping birds that was normal back in the real world. 'I'm definitely not staying here forever, but it's nice to know that it won't all be bad.'

Then I looked down to a valley just below me that was covered with beautiful and colorful flowers as far as the eye could see, and in the center of the flower field lied a big oak tree that shaded everything within a ten-meter radius with its limbs and leaves. And shaded under that tree were my friends, who had already managed to escape the academy. Beigoma was the first person to notice me. "Kira Onii-chan, down here!" she waved at me. I waved back at her and then ran down the hill to meet up with the others. Beigoma met me half way and embraced me in one of her vice grip hugs. "I missed you so much, Kira Onii-chan! I was afraid I was never going to see you again!" she appeared to be genuinely worried about me.

I eased her worries by patting her gently on her head, which seemed like a brotherly kind of thing to do. "There, there. No need to worry about me. Like I said before, we're all leaving this place together, so of course that means me too. But you know it's only been about half an hour since we've been apart, right?" I asked her with a sweatdrop.

Beigoma looked at me with a pitiful puppy-dog expression. "Every single minute away from my Onii-chan is torture."

I chuckled awkwardly. 'This girl is so weird,' I thought to myself.

After a few more moments of hugging me, Beigoma let me go…but only in the most embarrassing way possible. She sighed enthusiastically. "Energy charge complete. Thank you for the motivational boost, Kira Onii-chan," she said with a giggle.

My left eye twitched in frustration. And the others obnoxiously snickered.

Micho was the first one to acknowledge me. "Nice of you to join us, O-Nii-Chan ~," she said jokingly. "We were starting to think you got locked inside from how long you were taking."

"No I solved the riddle easily, thanks to your and the others' help," I replied to her.

"So you must have gotten phased by what was outside the academy then, eh?" Jonathan asked.

I sighed. "Yeah, it was a lot to take in. Everything's really gone, just like Junko and Monokuma said."

"Did you see all those dead bodies? I nearly passed out again from the shock," said Aya.

"Granted I was only around for the first part of the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History, but I was actually expecting a lot more destruction," said Mukuro. "Monokuma must have cleaned some of the chaos up when he was constructing this place, that's the only reason I could think as to why the carnage was so tame."

"That was tame?!" Nate exclaimed. "What kind of hell did you go through as a mercenary?!"

"You don't want to know," said Mukuro. "Trust me the less you know about my past the better."

"Noted, geez you are one scary girl, Muku, you know that?" Jonathan asked.

"Scary? Hmph, I 've been called worse," Mukuro replied.

"Do you think everywhere in the world is as messed up as this place?" Jose asked.

"Most likely," Izuru replied. "Despair is a disease. It spreads and infects, until everyone is sick. It is without a doubt capable of causing such a global pandemic."

"Well then if despair is the disease, we just need to come up with a vaccine of pure concentrated hope to inject into people's veins. Together we will triumph and bring hope to the world once again," said Nagito.

"Why is it that half the time we have no idea what the hell you're talking about?" Nodaka asked Nagito.

"If you ask me, hope is all the more powerful when it continues to mystify you," Nagito replied.

"That does not answer my question at all," Nodaka replied unsatisfactorily.

Beigoma huffed. "Oh, enough about that horrible place outside! We're here in Despairadise now, so let's just make the best of our life here! Isn't this place beautiful?! The scenery here reminds me of my hometown!"

Then at that moment Yasuke appeared behind us. "You do remember that we're being forced to kill each other here, right?" he asked.

"Hey, Yasuke's here! Welcome to the club, dude!" Nate exclaimed.

"Excuse me if I don't feel very excited about being here," Yasuke replied.

Then suddenly Deva showed up. "You're such a freaking sourpuss. Lighten up will you? We're out of that hell hole now, so just take that victory and call it a day," he said.

"Deva? You're here too?" I asked in confusion.

"It was my turn a few minutes ago and then when I got outside I saw Dr. Know it All there, creeping around," Deva explained.

"I wasn't creeping, I was investigating. I wanted to know as much about the people we're dealing with as possible," Yasuke explained. He frowned. "Though I have to say, it's far worse than I thought. And Otonashi, is she somewhere safe?" he asked himself.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your girlfriend's fine," Sawa suddenly said, surprising us all. Apparently when we were so focused on Yasuke and Deva, she snuck up behind them and had stayed silent since then.

"Nanase-san?! When did you get here?!" I asked in surprise.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just now, I got out of the academy only seconds after Matsuda-san and Murasame-san headed off in this direction. So I followed them here."

"You were following us the whole time and didn't make a peep? Now that's the behavior of a creeper," said Yasuke.

I was confused. 'Wait a minute. If Deva met up with Yasuke when he got outside, and Sawa saw them just before they both headed to Despairadise then that would mean the two of them stuck around on the Hope's Peak Academy campus for a full five minutes. They didn't mention that before.' I stared strangely at Yasuke and Deva. 'Am I just reading too much into things or are the two of them up to something? No, that can't be. I'm just being paranoid.'

Nodaka, sensing my unease, walked up to me and took my hand into hers. "You okay?" she whispered to me, out of earshot from the others.

"Yeah, it's nothing," I whispered back to her. Then I lovingly rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb. "I'm glad you're safe. I'd be completely lost if something happened to you. I don't think I would be able to forgive myself for letting you down again."

She smiled at me. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm a demon, remember?" she said with an added giggle. And then she tightened her grip on my hand. "But it means a lot that you care so much about me." We both looked into each other's eyes and time seemed to come to a standstill. Until…

"Ahem, Romeo and Juliet? Do you want us all to give you some alone time?" Chihiro asked with a snicker.

"I have a feeling that this is going to be really awkward now," said Micho.

"It's cute, but it kind of leaves a bitter taste in my mouth," said Sawa.

"Leave them alone, if they want to make goo-goo eyes at each other and act like idiots, let them," said Yasuke.

Jonathan noticed that Beigoma was quiet. "What no cutesy quip or reference to a shoujo manga?" Beigoma glared daggers at him and he backed away out of fear of his own life. "Okay, sorry I asked."

Then Beigoma turned back to Nodaka and I and then walked up to us. "Ahem, Kira Onii-chan can I talk to you for a second?" she asked innocently.

"Umm, sure what's on your mind?" I asked.

"Actually, it's kind of private so…" Then all of a sudden Beigoma separated Nodaka and I and then latched onto my arm. She turned to Nodaka and asked, "You don't mind if I borrow him for a few minutes do you?"

Nodaka was visibly shaking in anger, but she did her best to force a smile. "No, not at all."

"Thanks." Then Beigoma turned back to me and smiled innocently, "Shall we go Kira Onii-chan?"

"Umm…" and before I could reply she dragged me off away from Nodaka and the others. Then when we were out of earshot Beigoma stopped and let go of my arm. She took in a deep breath and gathered her words before she began to speak. "Kira Onii-chan, I know that you probably think I'm weird for how I act and talk. But believe me when I say that I truly think of you as my brother. I've always wanted an elder brother, in a lot of the manga and stories I've read there's a big brother character who looks out for those younger than him even if they aren't related by blood. They're so nice, and smart, and caring. And they remind me so much of you, Kira Onii-chan." Beigoma looked down at the ground.

"I know I'm not your real little sister, and no matter what I do, that fact can never change. But, even if you don't think of me as your little sister, I'll always think of you as my big brother. And as your honorary little sister, it's my job to look out for you as much as it is your job to look out for me," Beigoma explained.

"Kiyoshi-san, what are you…" I tried to reply but was cut off by her.

"That's another thing, I don't like being called that by you. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to be more familiar with me. You don't have to, but if you think of me in a more familiar way than that might make what I have to say easier," Beigoma said.

"Okay, what do you want me to call you then? Beigoma-chan, or just Beigoma?" I asked.

She frowned. "I guess that's fine, but if at all possible, I'd like our relationship to be more special than that."

"More special?" I repeated in confusion.

"Well, you have a nickname that you call Hoshi-chan sometimes, right?" Beigoma asked.

"Yeah," I replied awkwardly. I had forgotten that she and the others heard everything about Nodaka and I through her outbursts earlier. "I gave it to her when we were little, it's just a name that I use to tease her sometimes, nothing major."

"Be that as it may," said Beigoma, "I'd be really happy if you gave me a nickname as well, Kira Onii-chan." Beigoma blushed in embarrassment and twiddled with her fingers. "You don't have to use it all the time, you could just use it when we're alone if you want to. I just…I want to have a special connection with Kira Onii-chan just like Hoshi-san has."

I smiled at her. "Well if it's just a nickname, then how about…?" I stared at her and contemplated what would be a good nickname for her. I thought it over for a few moments and then said, "Asa-chan?"

"Asa-chan?" Beigoma repeated in confusion.

"Short for asagao? You said you love flowers, right?" I asked.

Beigoma nodded. "I really love flowers. Back in my hometown in Hokkaido, there's this huge field of flowers which I would go to almost every day and read, and frolic, and just take everything in. But why morning glory?" she asked.

"I don't know. It's just you remind me a lot of that flower. Everything about you is bright and cheery, and you're strong and resilient but at the same time delicate and bit of a crybaby," I said with a chuckle. "Nodaka's really into flowers too, that's one of the things I remember about her very well. And she was very interested in the legends surrounding them. She told me the morning glory was inspired by a beautiful princess who had a noble heart and a caring nature. Her tears were magic, and every tear that touched the ground would sprout a morning glory, which the princess named because they brought her so much joy during her morning walks. Asa-chan just seems like a perfect name for you," I explained.

Beigoma's smile grew three times in size and then she suddenly lunged at me and pulled me into one of her vice grip hugs. "It's perfect, thank you so much, Kira Onii-chan," Beigoma replied lovingly.

I hugged her back and patted her on her head. "Anything for my beautiful Asa-chan."

We hugged for a few more moments and then we separated. And Beigoma's warm and happy smile was replaced by a doubtful frown. "Okay then, I know I have your trust now, Kira Onii-chan. So I know that I can say what I have to say to you without any worry."

"Alright, and what exactly do you have to say to me?" I asked.

She sighed and then shockingly said, "Stay away from Hoshi-san."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-What?!"

"I didn't want to tell anyone about this until I was absolutely certain about who it was, but after finding out all about you and Hoshi-san, I finally figured it out." Beigoma took off her sunhat, and then revealed that she had something hidden inside an inner fold of it. It appeared to be a piece of paper. Beigoma took the piece of paper out of her hat and then placed her hat back on top of her head. Then she unfolded the paper and revealed that it was a pamphlet, and a very familiar pamphlet at that. "Here, you should read it." Beigoma handed me the pamphlet and I took it hesitantly.

I opened the pamphlet and found that it was very similar to the one I had received before when I woke up in the infirmary. It read:

 _Welcome to the new extracurricular course at Hope's Peak Academy. Though there has always been despair lurking in the background of this shining school of hope and pride this year we will be holding a special course for a few select students who are seriously in need of a dose of despair to get them to see the world for what it truly is. While attending this course you will be treated to daily despair by participating in a game that's fun for all ages._

 _And the first phase is the Murder Mystery Tour, where you will have to find out who killed the student known as Hajime Hinata. Your acceptance letters should have told you the gist of the game but now I will tell you the rest. You are free to explore the main school of Hope's Peak Academy and search for clues as to who Hajime Hinata's killer is, and when the killer has been correctly identified then the real game will begin. Consider this another test to see if you have what it takes to stick it out._

 _But first of all remember that your original acceptance letters said we have to meet up at 8:00 AM, so before you begin solving mysteries young sleuths it's important that you get to know your partners. Report to the entrance hall immediately at 8:00 AM. You're going to be staying here for a long time so you might as well learn to like each other._

 _When you think you know who the killer is meet up to discuss it with your classmates and then call on me and I shall come. And keep in mind I have eyes all over the school, so no slacking off and no funny business or there may be dire consequences. Just because this isn't an ordinary class doesn't mean you can do whatever you want._

 _Sincerely, the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy_

It was all the same information that had been in my pamphlet. Except for one minor note:

 _P.S. – I have given you each a special hint to what's going on here. There is a hint in each of your pamphlets. Some are as plain as day, such as yours, and others are completely hidden in the context. It is up to you and your fellow classmates whether you wish to share your hints with each other._

'Hint? I'm sure there wasn't any kind of hint in my pamphlet. Wait was there?' I couldn't remember. At that point in time all I remembered thinking was that I needed to get the hell out of that school. And there was no way for me to check now, because I had left that pamphlet back at the infirmary, and the academy was going to be blown to smithereens any minute now. I couldn't get to it, even if I wanted to. That was when I noticed that there was a flap cut into Beigoma's pamphlet. The flap was big enough to hold something inside of it. I looked to Beigoma and asked, "Should I…?"

She nodded in reply.

I fished the object out of the pamphlet's inner flap and then held it up to my eyes. It was a photograph, but not just any photograph, it was a class photo. And it wasn't just any class in the photo. It was our class. The Extracurricular course class. We were all standing on the steps of one of the academy's school buildings, it was almost impossible to tell which one. And at the base of the building's steps there was a black chalkboard sign that read: _Paradise Lost_ , _Class 0_. All of us were in the photo. I knew it was impossible because besides today, and October 23rd 2015, none of us knew each other, save for a few people being acquaintances and classmates. Then I recalled the gap in our memories. 'Is it possible that this photo is from that time?' I carefully scanned over the faces of the students of this Paradise Lost course and found that they were identical to the ones I had come to know.

(A/N: The positions that the kids are in, in this class photo, would take too long to completely write out and wouldn't be worth the effort. Plus, I wouldn't be able to effectively write out their actions since it would be posed because it is in a photo so I am just going to offer a visual aid on the student's placement in the class photo. I'm planning to eventually draw this class photo, but for now I'm working on drawing each student separately, so I'll let you guys know when that's done. So for now just bear with this outline I wrote out.)

 _Back row_

 _Keiko Akasaka/Connie Takemi/Micho Auruka/Yasuke Matsuda/Soshun Murasame/Azami Jagaimo_

 _Nagito Komaeda/Izuru Kamukura/Akira Maita/Nate Baron_

 _Chihiro Fujisaki/Cam Yano/Mukuro Ikusaba/Jonathan Junmaru_

 _Shiro Shirobane/Aya Kisaragi/Sawa Nanase_

 _Jose Historia/Beigoma Kiyoshi_

 _Front row_

'Yep, it's definitely us. Everyone's here…' then my eyes widened when I realized that one person was missing. 'Nodaka? Where's Nodaka?' I looked over each face again, to check if I simply overlooked her, but no matter how many times I checked the results didn't change. There were only nineteen people in this photo. Not twenty, just nineteen. Forget twenty-one, there weren't even twenty. I looked back to Beigoma. "Is…is this for real?" I asked her.

"I don't really know," she replied. "I just can't help but feel that what Monokuma and Enoshima-chan were saying about there being an imposter is the truth. But if that's the case, then why are there only nineteen of us, not twenty?" It looked like she had reached the same conclusion I did. "Something's definitely not right about all of this. But I think one thing is for certain, I think Hoshi-chan is the traitor."

"…" I was speechless. Sure it made sense. Considering everything I had heard and seen about Nodaka since we got here had been one big lie. She wasn't the Ultimate Maid, she was not a member of the Kuzuryuu clan, heck it wasn't even clear if she was ever a student at Hope's Peak Academy to begin with. There was a lot of evidence against her. Even she at one point was convinced she was the traitor. And all logic said she was right. And yet…Nodaka was the girl had loved before I even knew what love really was. I thought back to our childhood together, and all the fun times that we shared. It was the best time of my life. That couldn't have all been fake. 'No, I won't believe it. I won't let her be alone again.' I slid the photo back into the pamphlet's inner flap and then handed the pamphlet back to Beigoma. "You shouldn't trust that photo Asa-chan, it's obviously one of Monokuma's tricks."

Beigoma frowned at me. "You're probably right. But what if you're not? I don't want to see you get hurt, Kira Onii-chan. I mean, isn't it possible that she's just using you?"

"No," I said sternly. "Not Nodaka. She is not the traitor." I shook my head. "I'm not even saying that there is a traitor amongst us, but even if there is, it is not Nodaka. Ultimate Despair not only erased her memories, they implanted false ones in her head. Heck, she was so scared that she was the traitor that she almost tried to kill herself."

Beigoma's eyes widened in surprise. "I…I didn't know about that."

"She didn't tell any of you?" I asked in confusion. I sighed. "No of course she didn't. She always puts the weight of the world on her own shoulders so others don't have to deal with it," I said to myself. Then I looked back at Beigoma. "Look Asa-chan, I don't remember much about my life before Hope's Peak Academy, but Nodaka is the one constant that's keeping me sane right now. I know her. I love her. She is not capable of being one of those monsters. Let me tell you about the real Nodaka Hoshi, she's mature for her age because she learned how to take care of herself at a very young age. Her parents both worked steadily, so she was almost always alone. She didn't really know how to make friends so everyone she met, she would end up biting their heads off with verbal abuse. But that's just her shell, the shell that she still wears today because she's afraid that if she doesn't act tough then people will see how fragile she really is. But if you get the chance to know her, you'll see what I see in her."

I smiled as I listed off the many nice things I could think about Nodaka. "When we were little I was picked on a lot because I was a wallflower. Some of the meaner kids called me a freak because kept to myself a lot. And I didn't tell anybody about it because I didn't want to make things worse for myself. One day, it got so bad that one of the kids gave me a black eye, and later that night Nodaka caught a glimpse of it. I didn't ask her to help me, and she didn't even appear to acknowledge it at first, but the following day those same bullies apologized to me immensely for picking on me for so long. And they were all covered in bruises. I knew she did it, but I didn't thank her, and she didn't ask for one either. She just protected me because she felt like doing it. It's because that's who she is." I was starting to remember all the things that made me fall in love with her. "And this one time, these girls were doing the same thing to another girl. They all attended this private school that Nodaka went to, I knew because they wore the same uniform that she always wore on school days. Apparently the girl being picked on was like me, a wallflower who didn't have a friend in the world, and the girls doing the picking were known bullies of Nodaka's school. Out of the blue, Nodaka swooped in and started defending the defenseless girl, even going so far as to give one of the bullies a bloody nose. I never told her, but I watched everything she did that day from afar. Honestly, she was like a superhero. And the girl she saved agreed too. But Nodaka just shook off her praise like it was no big deal."

"…" Beigoma was silent as she listened to my stories about Nodaka.

"She's violent, and rude, and she can also be sometimes downright rotten. But she has a good heart, and she's kind, and courageous, and selfless to a fault. That is the true Nodaka Nakatsukaze." I sighed. "And even if her name is Nodaka Hoshi now. Even if she can't remember who she really is. Even if all the evidence is stacked against her. I will still believe in her." I nodded with a newfound resolve. "So yes, I choose to believe in Nodaka more than I do some clearly doctored photo. And all I'm asking of you, Asa-chan, is that you give Nodaka the same benefit of the doubt. I actually think you two would get along swimmingly if you gave each other a chance." I chuckled. "You actually have a lot more in common than you think. So please, for me, trust in Nodaka."

Beigoma fell silent for a moment as she thought things over. And then she smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll try to make nice with her." Then she huffed and puffed out her cheeks like a child who didn't get their way. "But I still don't think she's the right girl for you, Kira Onii-chan."

I chuckled. "And just who do you think is then?"

"Well…" she blushed and twiddled with her fingers again. "Maybe she's been right in front of you this whole time and you haven't realized it yet?"

I snatched Beigoma's hat from her and then when her head was exposed, I ruffled up her hair. "You're my little sister, remember? You can't just change rolls like that." Then I put her hat back on over her ruffled hair. "No matter how much you wish it, you are not Kirino Kousaka and this is not _Oreimo_." She wasn't the only one who knew manga. I only usually read mainstream or highly recognized stuff though.

Beigoma smiled mischievously at me. "Touché Kira Onii-chan, but you forget that in those kinds of stories the little sister always gets picked in the end. You'll see, in the end we will share our forbidden, incestuous kiss and live happily ever after."

'Happily ever after?' Come to think of it…no that couldn't be right. Could it? I had to know, or else it was going to drive me crazy later. "Umm, Asa-chan, in those kind of stories what usually happens after the siblings' kiss?"

"What do you mean? The story ends with the kiss, that's the way it always happens. Don't you know anything Kira Onii-chan?" Beigoma replied.

"That's not what I meant. Umm, do you know what usually happens after the kiss?" I asked.

"No, like I said that's how it ends. No one knows what happens after the kiss, it's left up to your imagination," Beigoma said innocently.

I twitched my left eye in frustration. 'Are you seriously going to make me come out and say it?' I asked myself. I took a deep breath. "Okay let me ask you another question, Asa-chan. Have you by chance ever read any manga that had a label on the cover that said: _R-18_ or _Do not read if you under eighteen_?" I was really making an effort to tiptoe around the question.

Beigoma gasped in embarrassment, and a red blush overtook her face. "Kira Onii-chan, don't tell me your read that kind of manga?! How could you do something so horrible?! You're underage!"

"Come again?" I replied in confusion.

"That manga is strictly forbidden for anyone under the age of eighteen! And according to the report cards in our e-handbooks, you're still seventeen! Don't you realize, you're breaking the law?!" Beigoma exclaimed.

"…" Was this chick serious? That was the only thought running through my head at that point.

Beigoma sighed. "Honestly Kira Onii-chan, to think you would just be willingly break the law like that. I mean, what's so special inside that manga that would drive you to take such reckless measures?"

Yep, she was serious. "So Asa-chan, you've never read one of those manga out of curiosity?"

"No, what's inside them that's so important? Can't I just wait until I'm eighteen?" Beigoma asked innocently.

"Just curious, did your parents ever tell you about the facts of life?" I asked.

"No, both of my parents work overseas and I haven't seen them in years…even before our time skip. I've live with my grandparents in Hokkaido since I was five," Beigoma replied. "But my grandparents told me that when two people love each other very much that a stork…"

"Thank you," I cut her off, "I think I get the picture. Forget I asked, it's not important."

Beigoma shrugged her shoulders. "If you say so." Beigoma turned in the direction of the others. "Now let's get back. I think the others are starting to show up." Then she went off ahead of me.

I watched her walk off and then sighed and shook my head. "Great, just what we needed…another Azami," I said to myself. And then I wandered back over to the others.

In my absence Shiro had appeared, and he informed us that Connie and Cam weren't that far behind. It was almost over; we were so close to being free of that dreadful place. Just a little bit longer and we would all make it out safely. And a few minutes later, Connie appeared.

"Bonjour mes amis!" Connie called out to us from atop of the hill as she waved. "Did you miss me? No?" And suddenly a large gust of wind enveloped us and within a few moments it was suddenly gone. And that wasn't the only thing that disappeared. Keiko was gone as well.

"What the hell?! Where did she…?!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"Dude," Nate nudged Yasuke to get his attention and then motioned for him to look back at the hill.

We all followed suit and were surprised to see that Keiko had appeared atop of the hill next to Connie and was currently eating her face. That was how it appeared from here at least. "Mmmmmmmm. Muuuuaaaaaaaaaahhhhh. _*Lick* *Suck*_."

"You have got to be kidding me?" Jonathan said as he shook his head. "Doesn't she ever quit?"

"Well, Takemi-san did promise her a kiss," Sawa replied with a sweatdrop.

"Umm, should we really be watching this?" Micho asked uneasily.

"Are you kidding?! I wish I had some freaking popcorn!" Deva exclaimed.

"God, you are so damn disgusting, Murasame," said Nodaka.

"Eh, if it makes you feel any better I'm just Soshun's inner thoughts. He would never react the way to anything that I do, guy shows about as much emotion as a rock," Deva replied.

"Akasaka was this aggressive with Junko as well, but I have to say judging from the sounds that she's a lot more into this one with Takemi," Mukuro remarked. She sniffed at the air. "And I can smell the influx of their pheromones from here." The freckled stoic blushed. "It looks like they're both getting pretty hot and bothered from this."

Nate covered his ears. "Ah stop, dude! Now that you said that I can totally smell it too! TMI! TMI! TMI! TMI! TMI!"

"Umm Kira Onii-chan? Would this be a situation in one of those R-18 manga you like to read?" Beigoma asked.

"What did the crybaby just say?" Nodaka asked in threatening manner.

"Nothing! She said nothing!" I shouted.

They had been going at it for at least two minutes now, and in that time neither of them had come up for air. Connie wasn't that into at first since Keiko took her by surprise, but it appeared that Keiko had a certain charm over her because with ten seconds of the kiss, she was already kissing her back. And now they were both so enthralled in each other that they didn't notice they were starting to lose their balance from teetering on the edge of the hilltop. And soon they lost their balance completely and tumbled down the hill and rolled into the valley, their lips never parting as they did so, even when they landed right in front of us.

That's a little over three minutes now," Jose said as he checked his e-handbook. "Is no one going to stop them? They could seriously collapse from oxygen deprivation if they don't disconnect soon."

"You're fifteen, how is this not getting to you?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised how many lesbian mystery novels there are, Senpai," Jose replied.

"Thanks, I don't think I can ever unhear that," said Micho.

Then finally we saw someone appear at the top of the hill once again. Our final classmate, Cam Yano. "Hey guys! I finally figured it out, the answer is…!" he stopped when he saw what had our attention right now. Then he slowly crept down the hill and made his way to Chihiro. Then he asked her, "How long have they been going at it?"

"Since you're here, it's definitely been over five minutes," Chihiro replied with a light blush.

Then finally…" _*Pant, pant, pant*_.Oh G-God, I _*pant*_ don't…think I can f-feel my to-tongue _*pant*_ ," Keiko panted out.

"I… _*pant*_ don't _*pant*_ think I can feel my _*pant*_ legs," Connie panted out. Both girls took a moment to catch their breaths and then they began talking normally. "I didn't think you would just attack me like that. A little restraint would've been nice," Connie said.

Keiko giggled. "Come on, don't pretend you didn't love it ~," she said. "Within mere seconds you were dominating my tongue with your own." Keiko playfully poked Connie's nose.

Connie blushed. "Geez, you have no tact, do you?" Connie struggled to get up off the ground with Keiko still on top of her. "Do you mind?"

"Poo," Keiko said in a disappointed tone. Then she picked herself up off the ground and gave Connie her hand and pulled her up off the ground as well. "I was hoping for round two too."

Connie dusted the grass off of her clothes and sighed. "You're going to end up killing me with your brashness."

Keiko wrapped her arms around Connie's waist and pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh please, you know you love it," she said in a loving manner. "Hey Frenchie, tell you what. First chance we get, why don't you and I go off from the group and…" Keiko whispered something in Connie's ear, and judging by how wide Connie's eyes got it must have been something really perverted.

"Connie Chop!" Connie shouted as she brought her gloved hand down upon Keiko's head, bringing the croupier girl down on her knees and making her dazed. Then Connie went on to senselessly pelt Keiko with attacks. "Connie Chop! Connie Chop! Connie Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!" Her senseless chopping attacks drove into Keiko's head and reduced the croupier girl to having half of her head dug into the ground, and made several large bumps appear on the back of her head.

Keiko twitched in agony as she lay sprawled upon the ground. "Okay, I guess that's where we'll draw the line," she murmured.

Connie pulled back her gloves over her hands and then adjusted her top hat with a huff. "Honestly, I don't know what I see in you Mademoiselle Queen of Hearts." Then Connie walked away from Keiko and came and joined our group. "I apologize, for putting you all through that. But please do know that I was not aware of how aggressive and public she was going to be. I'm sorry if we made and of you feel uncomfortable." Connie bowed to us and asked for our forgiveness.

"No, don't sweat it, dude. It's cool," Nate said with a sweatdrop.

"Yeah, umm if anyone should apologize, it's us. We shouldn't have pried on such a private moment between you two," Micho replied.

"Even if we were kind of forced to watch," Nodaka added.

Connie chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, again sorry."

And then our thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a school bell chime.

 _*Ding dong, bing bong*_

And then a monitor suddenly burst up out of the ground in front of us and flickered to life in a wave of static. Then Monokuma appeared on the screen, sitting in the same golden Monokuma head-shaped throne, and sipping on the same fruity looking drink. " _Hello my pretties, it's nice to see that you all arrived here safely. And now that you're all here, allow me to be the first person to welcome you to Despairadise. Unfortunately, I am busy at the moment with something that desperately requires my attention so I cannot do this in person so I am forced to send out my underlings as your welcoming party. Now I know you're all disappointed that you won't get to see me, the big cheese, in person for a while but do not be discouraged young students. You'll be seeing me very soon._ " Monokuma laughed manically and then continued his speech. "So until then, what do you say we sit back and watch some fireworks? I think you're really going to love the show."

Then suddenly, the sound of loud machines turning on could be heard in the area around the outside of the dome. And a few moments later, the dust and smoke of the outside world began to fade and reveal the path from Hope's Peak Academy that we all used to get here, and finally the academy's campus itself. Then a big red ten appeared in the top right corner of Monokuma's monitor's screen. " _T Minus ten seconds to Hope's Peak Academy's complete and utter destruction. For almost seven years this academy has been an abandoned ghost of its former self, which doesn't even so much as glint with a single shred of hope. Everything that this school once stood for has become tainted with despair. Which is why it fills my tiny little blackened heart with great pride to finally destroy one of the main objects of my rage with just the press of a button. Now without further ado, let's start the countdown!_ " And then the timer began to count down. " _10! 9! 8! 7!..._ "

We all stood absolutely still as we awaited the destruction of Hope's Peak Academy. No one dared utter a single word as we bore witness to the fall of that legendary school. " _6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0!_ "

The main school building began to shake in place until finally, the walls collapsed…literally. The four walls of the main school building just kind of folded in on itself. There wasn't any explosion, or large crash, or anything. The walls just collapsed like they were backdrops for some cheap, low-budget movie. And the walls collapse exposed something hidden in the academy. A large Shinto shrine guarded by Monokuma-shaped lion dog statues.

" _Psych! *Upupupupupupupupupupu*. There weren't any bombs morons, I just said that to mess with you guys!_ " Monokuma chuckled maniacally. " _You should've seen the looks on your faces! Priceless!_ "

"Son of a bitch!" Nodaka shouted.

"That manipulative little bastard!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Damn him!" Yasuke exclaimed.

"I hate that fucking bear!" Nate exclaimed.

"Even I'm a little pissed off at that one!" Micho exclaimed.

"Meh, I'm not even surprised anymore," said Izuru.

" _Now then, allow me to introduce your moderators for the coming game. Their job as such is to observe everything that you do here in Despairadise and report to me on their findings. They have all the power I do, so don't even think of trying to mess with them. Beware, I have granted them power over you and as such they have the authority to inflict despair on whoever and whenever they please. So please give a warm welcome to my loyal assistants and fellow merrymakers in despair. The fearsome and mighty…hey what's going on? Eh, why is the signal cutting out? Hey! Hey! Goddammit, I will not be silent! You can't just…!_ " And then suddenly the video feed cut out and a message appeared on the screen along with a picture of a broken Monokuma robot with Xs for eyes, as did a long broadcasting beep.

 _We're sorry! We are currently experiencing technical difficulties! Please stand by!_

"What the hell?" I said aloud.

And then a few moments later, the broadcasting beep stopped and a whimsical sounding voice sounded over a black screen. " _There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity._ "

"Umm, is it just me or did the Mastermind watch way too many episodes of _The Outer Limits_?" Cam asked.

" _Wrong, my dear student._ " We were surprised to hear that the person talking on the monitor responded to Cam. " _I am not the Mastermind. No, I am someone else entirely._ " Suddenly the black screen fizzed out and another person appeared on the screen. Someone who I didn't recognize. It was a pale woman with short blue hair and blue eyes with long eyelashes. She wore a gray hairband, a pale brown jacket, a black vest, a white dress shirt, and a red scarf which covered the lower part of her face. " _Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Miaya Gekkogahara and I was once known as the Ultimate Therapist._ "

"Miaya Gekkogahara?" I repeated her name in confusion.

"I've never heard of her before," said Aya. "Who is this Gekkogahara-senpai?"

"Beats me, I've never heard of her either," said Nate.

"I have," Yasuke replied. "She was one of the leading experts on clinical neuropsychology as well as several other psychological fields."

"Oh so she's a brain doctor like you?" Shiro asked.

"Basically yes, in actuality, no nothing like me," Yasuke explained. "Whereas I deal with mainly brain anatomy and physiology, Gekkogahara dealt purely with the psychological aspects of the brain. She was a very brilliant doctor who had the ability to connect with anyone she came into contact with, which was why she was such a gifted therapist. Apparently anybody who talked to her would open up automatically and let out all their troubles, allowing her to easily diagnose and solve their issues. She was a real legend in the academy's neurology department."

" _Please, you give me too much credit. If I really were as brilliant as you said I was then I would've never allowed mine and my fellow Ultimate's research to fall into the wrong hands. But unfortunately that is exactly what has happened, with our research now in their hands Ultimate Despair has reached a peak never thought possible. We have always been able to keep despair at bay, even if at some points it appeared as if we were losing the war we would always find a way through our troubles. Because the people we looked to lead us all believed whole-heartedly that hope would one day triumph despair. Their hope in hope is what saved us…for a time at least._ "

"What do you mean? Ultimate Despair didn't take over the world?" I asked.

" _Not completely no, though even today there are some parts of the world that are overridden with despair, other parts of the world didn't give in no matter what the cost and have fought tooth and nail to remain that way every day since then. Slowly but surely, hope is rising again._ " She sighed. " _There are so many things I wish I could tell you, but I'm afraid my time here is limited. So I can only tell you what's absolutely necessary for you to get through this ordeal unscathed._ "

"Hang on, hang on. How do we even know that we can trust you? We've been tricked like this by the Mastermind before," said Nodaka. "Plus that cheery, artificial voice of yours creeps me out."

"You just can't sugarcoat anything can you?" Micho asked Nodaka.

" _Well if it makes you feel any better, this isn't my real voice. This is the voice of my creation, my colleagues and I selected this voice because we thought that it might help fill people with hope and joy. That was the whole point of my creation, to undo what Ultimate Despair has done to so many others in the past._ "

"You mean the brainwashing?" I asked.

" _Correct. The remaining Ultimates and I developed a way for anybody brainwashed by Ultimate Despair to regain their humanity and sense of hope. However, the project was at first considered to be a complete failure due to unforeseen complications, and after which it was shut down and not remade until just recently. Unfortunately, it was not remade by me or my colleagues,_ " Miaya explained.

"But by Ultimate Despair?" I asked.

" _…_ " Miaya stayed silent for a second and then she spoke again. " _To be honest, we're not entirely sure who's responsible for this. Since then, a few of Ultimate Despair's key members have returned to the side of hope and have joined forces with my colleagues to fight back against the remaining factions of Ultimate Despair. But about three months ago, several key components of our creation were stolen right from under our noses. And one week ago, the culprits in question launched a mirrored version of our creation. Since then, my colleagues have been at work trying to put a stop to their plans whatever they may be._ "

"So even you guys outside of this place, don't know what's going?" Jonathan asked. "Man, you must be some real idiots. Ultimate Despair stole your technology and you have no idea what they want to do with it?"

" _They're doing the best they can with the limited resources that they have. But rest assured, their main concern is getting you guys out safely. It has been and always will be,_ " Miaya explained.

"Then what's taking so long?" Beigoma asked.

" _Well they already attempted to free you before, but unforeseen circumstances resulted in the Mastermind kicking them out before they could achieve this. And now, they are pinning their hopes on you and me to figure a way out of this,_ " Miaya explained.

"They sent you here to help us? Then where are you Gekkogahara-san? Tell us, and we'll come and find you," I said.

" _…_ " Miaya fell silent.

"Miaya Gekkogahara is dead, isn't she?" Mukuro asked. The rest of us looked at Mukuro in surprise, and then we turned back to Miaya to confirm if this was true or not.

" _Yes, the real Miaya Gekkogahara died a few years ago,_ " Miaya replied, to which we all gasped. " _She was spared from the initial strike of the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History, and then she went on to join the resistance known as the Future Foundation and fight back against Ultimate Despair._ "

'Future Foundation?' I recalled Nagito telling me about them before.

" _But eventually, she was murdered by a former follower of despair. I am all that remains of her, a fail-safe that she created if her creation ever fell into the wrong hands. Technically, we shouldn't even be having this conversation now, I'm just able to talk to you because of outside interference by my friends in the Future Foundation. They placed me here to act as additional moderator for the Mastermind's new mutual killing game, and as such help you guys find a way to escape that doesn't involve killing each other. But I can't do that myself, I'm just a memory inside my creation. You need to trust my creation for this to work. I need you guys to trust in the Future Foundation. No matter what you may hear. No matter what tricks the Mastermind pulls. Trust in the Future Foundation, and trust in my creation. She's not like Monokuma, she doesn't have an evil bone in her body. Trust her, and you will be saved eventually. I swear to you._ "

I looked at the others, and silently asked them if they were onboard. They all nodded, as did I. "Okay, we'll trust in the Future Foundation," I replied. "We already promised ourselves that we would not play the Mastermind's game, all we need to do is escape from their control. So if the Future Foundation can help do that, then we'll take all the help we can get."

Miaya nodded. " _Very well, and don't worry, you're making the right choice here. But now I'm afraid it is time for me to leave, so just remember…no m-m-matter wh-what nev-never lose h-hope,_ " Miaya stuttered out and then suddenly she disappeared from the screen and the monitor went black again.

"…" for a few moments we all just stood there in silence.

"Hmm, Azami-tan's confused hebi. What do you think Gecko-chan was talking about hebi?"

"More than that, do you guys honestly think we can buy all that after everything we've been through today?" Nodaka asked.

"No, everything she spoke of was the truth and nothing but," Nagito replied. "I've heard of the Future Foundation before; they are true warriors of hope. They've been fighting a war with Ultimate Despair since the very beginning. What's that old saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"Ultimate Despair is definitely our enemy, and Monokuma seemed really surprised that his video feed had been taken from him so it seems genuine. I say we trust them," said Micho.

"I want to trust them too. I have to believe that there is still some good left in the world," said Beigoma.

"So we all agree then? We'll work together with the Future Foundation and this moderator they're sending over to us and escape this place. And then we join them and fight against Ultimate Despair," I said.

"Right!" the others replied.

"Okay, then let's…!" I was cut off when something suddenly shouted.

"Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love to the reeeeeeeeesssssssssssssccccccccccccuuuuuuuuuuuueeeee!" We all looked up at the top of the dome, which shielded us from the heavy fog of smoke and dust that polluted the outside air, and were surprised to see something suddenly crash through the dome's glass. A pink comet zoomed down to the ground below, leaving a white streak in its wake. And then within moments, the comet crash landed in the valley right next to us., kicking up a cloud of dust, which we all shielded our eyes to avoid. Then when the dust cleared we looked back at the crash site and saw the thing that created the comet…or rather it's lower half. The thing in the comet crashed so bad that it ended up burying itself in the ground. And the only sign of life from the thing in question was the endless kicking of its feet in an effort to get unstuck from the hole they were buried in.

From what I could see, the thing wore white stockings and a pink and white frilled tutu-like skirt. And next to the comet thing lay a long pink stick with a double gold, heart shaped end and a set of white wings. "Umm, could I get a little help here?" the thing murmured while its head was underground. Then we all gathered closer around the thing in question and Yasuke and I grabbed either of its legs and pulled the thing out of the ground. With a few small tugs, the thing was full visible, and was surprising to say the least. "Oh, you boys are so kind, helping out a teacher in need. Gold stars for the both of you." It was a stuffed rabbit. A talking stuffed rabbit. A talking stuffed rabbit that was dressed up like a magical girl. Along with her skirt and stocking she wore a pink bib with a gold charm attached to it, a pair of white wings which were attached to her back, and a pink bow which was tied around her right ear. "Umm, you can put me down now."

"Oh right, sorry. Guess, we were just surprised," I replied. Then Yasuke and I sat the rabbit magical girl down on the ground and she picked up the stick that lied next to her and stood up on her feet. Then she blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry for the bad landing, I was hoping my entrance would be more theatrical," she said with a giggle.

"Who…or what are you?" Nodaka asked.

"Me? Well, my name is Magical Girl Miracle * Usami, or just Usami for short. But you, my young students, can call me sensei," Usami replied happily.

"Sensei?!" we all replied in explanation.

"Yes?" Usami replied innocently.

* * *

A/N: Magical Girl Miracle * Usami has landed! Maybe badly, but still. But you know this isn't going to last, Usami is just no match for Monokuma…not in her current state at least. So prepare for her reawakening as Monomi next time.


	29. Chapter 1, Part 13

A/N: Alright, in this part we get fully introduced to the dreaded twins, Halokuma and Diablokuma, as well as the alter ego of Usami, Monomi. So let's get to it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 13: Out of the frying pan into the fire**

* * *

"Who…or what are you?" Nodaka asked.

"Me? Well, my name is Magical Girl Miracle * Usami, or just Usami for short. But you, my young students, can call me sensei," Usami replied happily.

"Sensei?!" we all replied in explanation.

"Yes?" Usami replied innocently.

"No that wasn't a question! What do you mean by sensei?!" Micho exclaimed.

"Sensei is just sensei. Starting now I'm your new teacher," Usami replied. "I hope we all get along and have a great time learning and growing together. And I promise that I will do my very best to look after you all and keep you safe."

"You're going to protect us?" Aya asked. "But you look as about as defenseless as a baby sea turtle."

Usami seemed shocked. "B-Baby sea turtle?! Do I really look that non-threatening?!"

"You're a robot rabbit, right?" Nate asked. "So does that mean you're in league with Monokuma?"

"M-M-Monokuma?!" Usami shouted in fear. "H-He's here?! Where?! Why?! How?!" Usami began to look all around the area, in fear for her own life.

"You know Monokuma, but you're not in league with him?" I asked.

"No, of course not! How could you even think that I would be working together with that horrible monster?!" Usami exclaimed.

"Well for starters, you're both stuffed toy robots," said Jonathan.

"Wrong! We may be designed in similar ways but I'll have you cheeky students know that we are like the sun and moon! Monokuma's only purpose in life is to spread as much misery and despair as possible!" Then she smiled. "But my purpose in life is to spread hope and love, and protect others from despair. So I guess that's why I must have been summoned here, eh? Monokuma is up to his old tricks yet again, and now he's dragged even more innocent students into his horrible game. Well this time is going to be different, not again, never again," she said to herself.

"I see, Monokuma is the mascot for Ultimate Despair, so it stands to reason that our new friend, Usami, here is the mascot for the Future Foundation," said Nagito.

Usami gasped. "Oh my gosh, Nagito-kun is that you?!"

"Hmm?" Nagito seemed surprised that Usami recognized him. Then he just smiled and waved her off. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before. How do you know my name?"

"Oh…um…that's…uh, the Future Foundation. Yeah, the Future Foundation gave me information on all you guys. You're Nagito Komaeda, aren't you?" Usami replied.

"Yes, that's me. But are you sure we've never met before? I must admit, something about you seems oddly familiar," Nagito replied.

"Nope, nope, nope. We've never met, you must be mistaking me for someone else," said Usami. She had an odd panicked expression on her face.

But Nagito chose not to pry further. "Hmm, I suppose. Well then, Usami-sensei? May I ask you a question?" Nagito asked.

"Sure, answering questions is part of a teacher's job after all," Usami replied.

"If you were really sent by the Future Foundation, then you should know that I am a former Ultimate Despair, correct?" Nagito asked.

"Umm…yep, that's right. You were known as the Hopeful Harbinger of Death, right?" Usami asked.

"Well if you and the rest of the Future foundation know that I'm a former member of Ultimate Despair then why do you want to save me? And why do you want to save Mukuro-chan and Izuru-kun too for that matter?" Nagito asked. "If you ask me, all three of us deserve to die horrible, painful deaths."

"…" Mukuro seemed unnerved but she didn't mutter an interjection.

"…" Izuru remained silent as well, but he seemed to not care what Nagito said about him.

"…" Usami seemed shocked at first but after a moment or two passed, she just frowned and shook her head. "You poor, poor thing. Are you unable to remember a time when you were ever happy?"

"Happy?" Nagito scoffed and folded his arms in a demeaning way. "Hmph, the last time I ever remember being happy was when I was able to spend time together with my classmates, with all of my friends. But they're all gone now. They fell into despair and in the end they all took their own lives. It's Junko-chan's fault they're all dead, but I'm just as much as to blame as she is."

"But that wasn't your fault. You were being brainwashed like all her other followers, remember?" Micho replied.

"Micho-chan's right!" Usami exclaimed.

"You know who I am, too?" Micho asked in surprise.

"Of course, I told you before. I know who you all are. And I know what you've all done," said Usami. "And if it makes you feel any better, the Future Foundation doesn't care about your past actions. All they care about is your safety."

"How could they not care about me and what I've done?" Mukuro asked with a depressing expression on her face. "I'm her sister after all. I'm the second Despair Sister. If anything, what's happened to the world is at least half my fault. Why do they not seek vengeance against me?" Mukuro seemed truly regretful for all that she had done as a member of Ultimate Despair. She truly wanted recompense and forgiveness for her actions. And now, a member of the enemies of Ultimate Despair, who as Nagito informed me, sole mission was to annihilate despair and everyone and everything that represented it, was telling her that they forgave her for her sins. I could see why Mukuro would be conflicted, surely she had heard of the Future Foundation as well, her being one of the ring leaders of Ultimate Despair.

Usami walked forward and went straight up to Mukuro, and then she motioned for Mukuro to crouch down to her level. When Mukuro was eye level with Usami, the stuffed rabbit robot immediately wrapped her arms around Mukuro's neck and pulled her into a hug. "Mukuro-chan, it's okay. Your classmates, they would've understood your actions. I'm sure they would've been angry at first, they might've even thought you were no better than your sister. But with time, I know they would've forgiven you. You are not Junko-chan. You are Mukuro-chan. And all you did, you did out of love for your sister. It's not your fault that she was broken. She was born that way. You are not to blame for her actions. If you weren't there by her side since birth, she probably would've turned out a whole lot worse."

"…" Mukuro stayed silent as Usami hugged her and spoke.

"You helped her carry out her plans sure, but for so long you took the full front of her cruelty and abuse, so it's no wonder you eventually developed a taste for despair like she did. But you have to remember, you are different from her. For each life you take, for each mess you create, for every act of despair you cause, you feel something your sister never felt…remorse. That alone, proves you're different than her. You have a gentle heart underneath all that pain and suffering. You don't have to be strong anymore, Mukuro-chan. You have friends now, and they will gladly help you with your troubles. You don't have to endure the despair alone anymore. The outside world, the Future Foundation, they've already forgiven you. And your new friends have too. The only person left who needs to forgive you, is you. You just need to forgive yourself."

Mukuro began to tear up. "I…I don't think I can. I don't think I ever can."

Usami nuzzled Mukuro's neck. "You can, Mukuro-chan. You're brave and strong, and deep down you're caring and loving as well. Your friends believe in you. I believe in you. And if Makoto-kun was alive today, then he would believe in you too."

Mukuro scoffed and shook her head as tears kept pouring out of her eyes. "No, he wouldn't. Not even someone as sweet and thick-headed as him could ever forgive me. I betrayed him, I'm the reason he and the others are dead. He was the first person in our class to even try to get to know me. I warned him that I was nothing but trouble, I told him he should stay away. But that idiot just wouldn't listen. And now he's dead and it's all my fault!" she exclaimed.

Usami patted Mukuro's back. "Hush, hush now." When Mukuro calmed down a little, Usami continued talking. "You don't need to earn your forgiveness. But if it will help you learn to forgive yourself then I think you already know what you need to do. Your friends are counting on you, they need you. You can help them by making sure none of those horrible things ever happen again. Protect them, Mukuro-chan. You and I can help protect them and bring them home. So what do you say, Mukuro-chan?"

"…" Mukuro stayed silent for a moment, and then she showed off one of her rare smiles. She giggled in a very girly manner and then wrapped her arms around Usami and hugged her back. "I wish Junko came up with someone like you instead. You're so kind and sweet, and very, very cute." Mukuro began to blush.

"Aww, I love you too Mukuro-chan," Usami replied.

Shiro smiled at the sight of Mukuro and Usami. "I think we can trust her. How about you guys?"

"She's really nice, I like her a lot. I want to trust her too," Beigoma replied.

"Well she may not look all that impressive, but she says she's willingly to help us. Oh what the heck, I say we give the little bunny a shot," said Aya.

"Azami-tan likes Usami-chan too hebi. Let's all be friends hebi," said Azami.

Jonathan sighed. "Why not? It's not like we have enough idiots in our party already," he said. "The more the merrier, right?" he said unenthusiastically.

"You know we can all tell when you're being smarmy, right?" Sawa asked.

"Do you even know what smarmy means, Ms. Rhetorical?" Jonathan replied.

"Shut up," Sawa replied.

Usami let go of Mukuro and began to act like the teacher she claimed to be. "Now, now. You're all classmates, so that means you should learn to work together and support each other. As your sensei, it's my job to make sure that you all learn to get along and enjoy your youthful days completely. What's here today, may be gone tomorrow so you should enjoy each and every moment. That's what it truly means to be classmates and friends." Then Usami walked up to Jonathan and Sawa and grabbed ahold of their ankles. "And who knows? Maybe, your days of youthful adventure will include a blossoming romance as well?" Then she pushed Jonathan and Sawa closer together, making the procrastinator and the triathlete gasp and blush in reply.

For a moment, both Jonathan and Sawa stared into each other's eyes. And then Jonathan turned away abruptly and scoffed at Usami's assertion. "Yeah right, that will be the day," he said in his smarmy tone.

Sawa puffed up her cheeks and turned away from Jonathan as well. "In his dreams maybe," said Sawa.

Jonathan chuckled. "If I started having dreams of you, Sa, they'd be nightmares, not dreams," he said.

Then Sawa shouted at Jonathan. "How dare you talk to me like that, you insensitive prick!" she shouted.

Jonathan turned back to Sawa in anger. "Prick am I?! Well, it's better than being some loudmouth, know-it-all, thinks everywhere is a beach, head in the clouds pansy!"

"Pansy?! I'm a girl, four-eyes!" Sawa shouted back at him.

"Sometimes, I wonder, beach freak!" Jonathan shouted back at her.

"You little, snot-nosed punk!" Sawa shouted.

"Mouth breather!" Jonathan shouted.

"Nimrod!" Sawa shouted.

"Barefoot waste of space!" Jonathan shouted.

"Okay! Okay!" Usami did her best to separate Jonathan and Sawa, as she saw that the two of them were getting a bit too testy. "Class, calm yourselves. You're all friends remember. Now I know tensions may be high, but you can't just lash out at each other. The only way you're going to get through this is if you trust one another."

Jonathan and Sawa didn't seem to be listening to Usami though. They were two busy butting heads, exchanging nasty glares with each other, flashing their gritted teeth, and growling at each other. They really got under each other's skin.

"Jonathan-kun? Sawa-chan? Play nice," said Usami.

They didn't reply and kept growling at each other.

"Guys?" Usami tried to get their attention again.

But they still didn't reply.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

Then finally Usami got annoyed and forced Jonathan and Sawa to listen to her. She hopped up into the air and gave them both a smack on the head with her magic wand. "Listen to your sensei when she's talking to you!"

Jonathan and Sawa cringed at the pain of the blows they received and immediately recoiled. They both bowed their heads and replied, "Yes Ma'am, sorry."

Usami smiled at them. "There now, that's more like it. Friends shouldn't fight with each other like that. No name calling, you're high schoolers, not grade schoolers. Understand?" she asked us all.

"Yes Ma'am," we all replied in a serious tone, out of fear for our own safety.

Usami nodded. "Good, and remember, I'm your teacher. So from now on, address me only as Usami-sensei." Then she reached down on to her side and slid her left hand into what looked like a pocket. "Now then, to celebrate our newfound friendship, I have a present for each of you."

"Ooh, presents hebi?!" Azami replied. "What did we get, what did we get hebi?!" She sounded like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"I think you're all going to like this. I hope you'll each treasure this memento and keep them by your side always, as a reminder that sensei will always be there when you need her." Then Usami pulled out a handful of little white objects. "Tada, presenting your commemorative Usami keychains!" Upon further inspection, the objects in question were indeed keychains shaped like a miniaturized Usami.

"…" we were all greatly underwhelmed, and some of us even sweatdropped to show that fact.

Then Usami went to quick work in putting a keychain in each of our hands. "One for you, one for you, one for you…and finally one for you." Then she ran back to her place in front of us.

I stared at the Usami keychain in underwhelmed curiosity. "Umm, thanks I guess?" I replied to her.

"What a crappy gift," said Yasuke, in his usual non-sugarcoated tone.

"This seriously bites," said Deva.

"And here I was thinking that we'd actually get something useful. Guess you can't trust a bunny after all," said Nodaka.

"I think they're cute!" Beigoma explained. Then she squeezed her Usami keychain and found that it also made sound effects. " _Love, love, love! ~_ " the keychain exclaimed. "Oh cool, it even talks!"

"Somehow, that just makes them seem lamer," said Jonathan.

Usami seemed disappointed with our reactions to her gifts. "I didn't they'd go over this bad. This is even worse than last time," she said.

"Don't get us wrong," said Micho. "It's not like we're ungrateful, it's just that these gifts are pretty useless. We don't even have anything we can clip these onto."

"Well, I guess if you don't really want them then you don't have to keep them," said Usami. And then a mere moment after that, we all tossed our Usami keychains away. "Aww, that hurts my feelings. You know that's me you're throwing away, right?" Usami asked with tears in her eyes.

"Don't feel so bad, Usami-sensei," said Beigoma. She held up her Usami keychain. "I'm hanging onto mine, so one out of twenty isn't that bad, right?"

"Actually that's pretty bad," said Cam.

"Aww, Beigoma-chan! You really are one of a kind, aren't you?!" Usami replied enthusiastically.

"Hey Ikusaba-chan, what gives?" Izuru asked. "Don't tell me you want to keep yours too?" We all looked to Mukuro and saw that she was still holding onto her keychain as well.

Mukuro tried to hold it off to the side to not draw too much attention to herself. "W-what's the big idea if I do want to keep mine, eh? Besides…" Mukuro blushed, "…it is kind of cute."

Usami giggled in glee. "Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter what you all think. So long as you all believe in hope and each other, you'll go on to live long and happy lives. And I'm going to make sure that those lives are full of memories and smiles. But first, let's all work together to get out of this nightmare we have found ourselves in. Now who's with me?!" Usami exclaimed.

"We are!" we all shouted in reply.

And then, just when we saw the tiniest bit of hope in this hopeless situation, in mere moments it was shattered by them. "Sheesh, I can't handle much more of dis disgusting, cutesy sight! Yo bro, what do youse say we go ahead and make ourselves known already, yeah? I think it's finally time for us to get our time to shine." A voice appeared out of nowhere, startlingly us all.

"Oh very well, but I beg of you dear brother…please be gentle," another voice replied.

"Aww shucks, I ain't gonna do anything dat bad…to the kiddies at least, but as for dat stinking bunny rabbit over there," the owner of the voice chuckled. "I think tonight we're going to have some nice roasted venison for dinner."

"You fiend! I will not allow you to harm a defenseless rabbit! I shall…!" the second voice replied.

"You'll what?! What, you big sissy?! What can you do?!" the first voice exclaimed.

"Um…well…I can…um, oh I know! I'll tell big brother on you, you know that he would not want us messing with the rabbit after all!" the second voice exclaimed.

"Youse little snitch, alright fine, youse win. Let's just get dis over with. One, two, three…" And then it began again.

We looked up to find that the source of the two voices was the large oak tree right behind us. There was a little wiggling in the inner leafy branches of the tree, and then finally two silhouettes jumped out of the tree and landed on top of two low hanging branches on either side of the tree. And we were surprised to see that the two things hiding in the tree was Monokuma…and Monokuma? No wait, neither of them were Monokuma, they both just bore a strong resemblance to him.

On the branch on the right of the tree, there was a Monokuma robot whose body was made up of half black and half red. His left half was black and had a red scar eye as well as a malevolent smile just like the regular Monokuma. However, his right side was red instead of Monokuma's regular white, and instead of having a simple black eye, he had a black eye that was also shaped like a scar. And his maniacal smile continued over to his right side. Besides the different color scheme, this Monokuma's face was perfectly symmetrical. And while this Monokuma had the usual bear shape, he also had two crimson devil-like horns on either side of his head, two black bat-like wings, and he also held a red pitchfork in his right paw.

And on the branch on the left of the tree, there was a Monokuma robot whose body was made up of half white and half sky blue. His left half was sky blue and had a simple, peaceful smile on it, and right half was Monokuma's standard white and continued his simple smile. He wore a red visor-like eyepiece that cover both of his eyes, and he also wore a white toga that was held up by a golden button clip. He also had a golden halo on top of his head and a pair of white wings that furthered his angelic appearance. Yes, this was actually happening. We were now dealing with talking angel and devil teddy bears. If this wasn't some emoesque, wallflower teenage girl's fantasy.

"Konichiwa my little bitches! /Welcome youngsters!" the devil and angel bears exclaimed.

"…" we all just stood silent for a moment or two.

Until Cam finally said, "How many different robot stuffed animals are there anyway? First a robot teddy bear, then a robot stuffed rabbit, and now robot angel and devil teddy bears. Are there angel and devil versions of the stuffed rabbit robot too? Are there even more robot stuffed animals? Like a robot stuffed dog, or a cat? Ooh, or maybe even a robot stuffed gorilla?" he asked in an excited tone.

"You seem awfully excited about them, eh?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm the Ultimate AV Technician, I love robots, you know. It's kind of sad to see them being used for malevolent intentions though," Cam replied. "Hey maybe if I get ahold of one of them I can reprogram them and make them our ally like Usami-sensei. I'll take the angel one, he looks cool. Not the devil one though, his appearance is kind of lame, you know."

"Lame?! How dare youse, you little shit?!" the devil Monokuma exclaimed as steam literally came out of his ears.

Meanwhile, the angel Monokuma blushed and cupped his cheeks. "Cool? Me? Well, I don't know about that, but thanks for the compliment."

"Anyways, who are you guys?" Micho asked. "I'm guessing you're not from the Future Foundation, right?"

"Future Foundation? Whatcha talking 'bout there girlie?" the devil Monokuma asked. Then a look of insight came over him. "Oh, youse means World Ender, don'tcha?"

"World Ender?" I replied in confusion.

"Yeah, dat's what I said, kid. Whatcha got crap in your ears or something?" the devil Monokuma replied.

"Um, dear brother?" the angel Monokuma called out to the devil Monokuma. "I think the young lad is asking what you mean by "World Ender" exactly." Then he turned back and addressed me. "Am I right?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied awkwardly.

"Oh, why didn't youse say sose?" the devil Monokuma replied to me. "Sure kid, I'll tell youse what's going on. Youse see, basically dat little bunny over there's been lying to youse guys since minute one."

"What?!" we all exclaimed.

"That's a bold faced lie!" Usami exclaimed defiantly. "Everyone, don't listen to them! They're in league with Monokuma, you can tell just by looking at them!"

"Hang on, hang on," said Yasuke. "We didn't know who you were until about ten minutes ago. So I say we give these guys a moment to explain themselves." Then Yasuke turned to face the angel and devil bears. "But I warn you, if you mess with me you're going to regret it," he threatened.

"Temper, temper. Youse must be Yasuke-kun, am I right?" the devil Monokuma asked.

"Don't even talk to them! No good can come from it!" Usami exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's me," Yasuke replied, ignoring Usami. "So you know we are, but we don't know who you are. I'm guessing that you work for Monokuma, is that right?"

The angel Monokuma clapped his paws in a genuine way. "Ooh, such a bright young lad. I see big things in your future, big things my boy."

"I'm asking, who are you two?" Yasuke replied.

"Shall we bro…?" the devil Monokuma turned to ask the angel Monokuma.

"Yes, dear brother, let us go! Just like we practiced!" the angel Monokuma exclaimed. Then they both stood at attention to us and did something really ridiculous.

The devil Monokuma cleared his throat and then he began to speak, something very, very familiar if you ever watched cartoons as a child. "If you ask us dis or dat…"

The angel Monokuma followed suit, "The pity of the world is what responds!"

Then the devil Monokuma. "To prevent the destruction of the world!"

Then it went back and forth like that. "To protect the peace of the world!"

"To stand by the evils of love and truth!"

"The lovely, charmy villains!"

"Diablokuma!"

"Halokuma!"

Then they both jumped in synchronicity from their respective tree branches and tumbled through the air, all while still chanting. "The pair who represent hope and despair soar through the galaxy!"

"A white hole, a white tomorrow awaits us!"

Then they both landed on the ground, right on to their hind paws and exclaimed together, "Something like dat at least! / Something like that at least!"

"…" no one said a word. The only noise you could hear was the J-Pop music far off in the background and the whistle of the wind.

And then after what felt like eternity, Nate finally said it. "Did the two of them seriously just quote Team Rocket?"

"Yes, yes they did," Yasuke replied. Surprisingly, he wasn't angry or annoyed. Just confused.

"Aww, come on?! Where's the applause?! At least show a little gratitude for the showmanship of dat entrance! So what if we ripped it off, it's memorable and catchy! Do youse guys know how long we practiced dat routine?!" the devil Monokuma, named Diablokuma replied.

"Now, now dear brother," the angel Monokuma, named Halokuma replied. "We mustn't be so cross with them, after all. Starting today, we're going to be in charge of them."

"In charge of us? What do you mean?" Nodaka asked in a demanding tone.

"In charge, is in charge girlie," Diablokuma replied. "As of right now, youse kiddies are our responsibility."

"You see, big brother Monokuma wishes for us to serve as moderators for this game," Halokuma explained.

"Moderators?" Sawa repeated in confusion.

"You mean like Izuru and Nagito?" Nate asked.

"Yep, yep, yeppers," Diablokuma replied. "As a matter of fact. What did they used to call youse two? The Seeds of Hope? Well I guess youse could say we're youse guys' replacements."

"Replacements?" Nagito repeated in confusion.

"Interesting, and so are the people controlling you two members of Ultimate Despair as well?" Izuru asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Diablokuma replied.

"Or maybe there's one person controlling both us and big brother Monokuma entirely!" Halokuma exclaimed.

"We'll never tell, youse mooks!" Diablokuma exclaimed.

"But young master Izuru, young master Nagito, you shouldn't take things so personally. Big brother Monokuma doesn't hold anything against you two for abandoning Ultimate Despair, nor does he hold anything against you for betraying despair completely dear lady Mukuro," Halokuma said as he addressed the ex-Ultimate Despair members.

"That's odd," Mukuro replied. "Ultimate Despair should act as a hive mind, Junko designed it that way. So even in the event of her death, the remaining members would still create despair in her name. Why? Why is everything so different?"

" _*Fufufufufufufufufufufufufufu*_ ," Diablokuma chuckled. "I told the boss if he twisted with their logic too much dat they wouldn't know up from down, and look what happened. They're so clueless it's almost no fun to mess with them…almost. But in the end, brain raped or not, there ain't nothing in the world I love more than punishing mooks."

"P-Punishing?" Beigoma repeated in fear.

"Allow me to explain youse guys' situation to youse," Diablokuma replied.

"With the help of visual aids, drawn by yours truly," Halokuma added as he pulled out a set of cue cards from nowhere.

Diablokuma sighed in exasperation. "Bro, sometimes your constant over preparedness just bugs me."

"You wouldn't let me make my speech so just humor me, okay?!" Halokuma exclaimed.

Diablokuma sighed again. "Fine, just be ready with them, I'm not slowing down for youse."

"Can do!" Halokuma exclaimed cheerfully.

"Okay then, as I was saying…" Diablokuma began his explanation as Halokuma held up his cue cards to give us visual aids. "Dis place you're in right now is our domain, which is half hope and half despair. It is literally a paradise of hope and at the same time a wasteland ridden with despair. A Despairadise, if you will." Halokuma's first cue card showed a rough layout of Despairadise from our current point of view above the hilltop.

"Now Despairadise, is one of the few remaining safe places on Earth. It was originally designed by the overseer, who youse mooks refer to as the Mastermind, as a safe haven for those who seek it but has since then been turned into place dat's sole purpose is to serve as the location for the ultimate mutual killing game, the Killing Despairadise. Surrounding the entire city is a large dome made of impenetrable, indestructible plexiglass. And the only way to enter is if youse are given special permission by the Mastermind. In other words, no more Ultimate Despairs can get to youse guys. Us and the boss, are the only members you'll be dealing with for the time being. Which is beneficial to youse because, since youse guys executed Junko Enoshima, the rest of Ultimate Despair is out for your blood."

"But why? Why do you and Monokuma not want to kill us too? Why are you still making us do this?" I asked.

"Good questions, and they're just within my realm to answer." Halokuma changed his cue card to show a crudely drawn picture of Monokuma standing in front of Junko Enoshima, both of their arms were folded in a threatening manner. "Youse see, back in the beginning, the boss was designed by Junko Enoshima to be the harbinger of despair. Her dream was dat eventually the mere mention of the boss's name would make everyone who heard it become filled with despair. And for a while, the boss's existence completely revolved around despair." Then Halokuma changed his cue card to show a crudely drawn picture of Monokuma standing in front of a silhouette. "But then the Mastermind came into the picture and took hold of the boss to use him for their own needs. And even though the Mastermind is also a member of Ultimate Despair, do not think that they are like that bitch Enoshima. From the very beginning they have worked towards dis one and only goal. To destroy Ultimate Despair and everything they stand for…in other words to destroy despair itself."

"They want to destroy despair completely?" I asked. "But I thought they were doing this for revenge?"

"Junko Enoshima and Ultimate Despair took away everyone and everything dat the Mastermind ever cared about, dat is why they want revenge against them. But dis is only half of their master plan. The other half revolves around the second greatest evil that the world has ever encountered, the Future Foundation…or as it is known to the current despair-ridden world, World Ender. Why you may ask?" Halokuma changed his cue card to show a crudely drawn picture of the planet Earth, separated into two halves. A half of darkness, and a half of light. In the half of darkness, the words _超高校級の絶望_ _(chō kōkō kyū no zetsubō)_ were written. And in the half of light, the words _未来機関_ _(Mirai Kikan)_ were written. "Because, to the parts of the world that embrace despair, the Future Foundation's goal is to ultimately end their perfect world. Ultimate Despair and the Future Foundation, the Mastermind sees these two organizations as the greatest evils in the history of mankind."

"Ultimate Despair I get, even as a former member I'm disgusted by them and their actions. But why pretell does the Mastermind hate the Future Foundation?" Nagito asked.

"Well if youse must know, youse little hope-loving freak, I'll tell youse," Diablokuma replied. "The answer is quite simple really, it's because the Future Foundation is no better than Ultimate Despair."

"How do you mean?" Micho asked.

Halokuma changed his cue card to show a crude picture of a series of silhouetted individuals underneath two men. One was a wise but scruffy looking old man with glasses and spikey hair, and the other was a prim and proper young man with neat hair and serious expression. "The Future Foundation is made up of several different branches, and each branch is led by a different leader, all of which are former students and faculty of Hope's Peak Academy which Ultimate Despair never got the chance to erase. And the primary leaders of the Future Foundation are the leaders of the first branch and second branch, Kazuo Tengan, the former Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, and Kyosuke Munakata, the former Ultimate Student Council President."

"Tengan-san!" Jose exclaimed.

"Kyo-Kyo!" Deva exclaimed.

"I see youse guys are familiar with the accused, but I'm afraid dat what youse don't know is dat they are really different compared to how you remember them. You see, their goal is to not only stop Ultimate Despair, but to destroy them completely. They don't want to contain despair, they want to eradicate it," Diablokuma explained.

"But why shouldn't they? I mean after all the horrible things Ultimate Despair has done, why shouldn't they all just die?" Sawa asked.

"You don't get it little lady; the Future Foundation will do anything to accomplish dat goal. They don't care who they kill, men, women, heck even children. If they are infected with despair, they die period. They're blood-thirsty war-mongers who kill to preserve hope. And none is more blood-thirsty than Kyosuke Munakata," Diablokuma said as he pointed at the prim and proper man in Halokuma's picture. "He has a hatred for despair dat defies all logic. Heck, if it weren't for Kazuo Tengan and the others holding him back, dis prick might've just nuked the world and have been done with it."

I was shocked. 'That's the kind of people that the Future Foundation are?!' I inwardly exclaimed.

"While the Future Foundation's goal of stopping Ultimate Despair may have at first been noble, in the end their hatred morphed into despair itself. And now they vie simply to destroy despair, while Ultimate Despair vies to destroy hope. And since then, they have fought over and over and over again. Destroying the world, killing millions of innocents all in the pursuit of two ideals. Hope and despair. And dat is why the Mastermind wishes for revenge on both of those ideals, and all who represent them."

'And that's why there were so many people on the Mastermind's blacklist. And why all of them were affiliated with Hope's Peak Academy in one way or another. The Mastermind doesn't just hate despair, they hate hope too,' I thought to myself. But as I thought more and more about the Mastermind's reasoning. It started to make sense. Ultimate Despair may have been the root of the world's problems, but through the endless battles waged with them and their mission for their complete destruction, the Future Foundation was just as guilty. When it came down to it, the only thing that was different about both organizations were the ideals that they chose to represent. If everything that these two were telling us was true, then at the end of the day we were all trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"The Mastermind believes dat the world does not need hope or despair to survive, and the point of dis game is to make sure the world learns that as well. So in order to achieve dat goal, youse guys will be tested and it will all be decided here. Which is better hope or despair? Through this game, youse will prove which ideal is more worthy of surviving," Diablokuma explained.

"We don't care about your stupid contest! We want out of here!" Nodaka shouted.

"Youse guys should know by now that you don't have a choice, youse either play or youse die," Diablokuma replied.

"I'm afraid he's correct," said Halokuma. "You don't really have a say in this, but just because you're stuck here, it doesn't mean that you have to give into temptation and kill each other. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, why not focus on what you do have? Each other. As long as you have each other, you could spend the rest of your days here in peace and harmony. Remember, this place is a paradise…well, at least half of it is."

"We don't care what you say, we're not staying here period," said Yasuke.

"Well in dat case, you're going to have to play the game. Which means it's time to split youse up into your teams," Diablokuma replied.

"Wait, teams? What teams? We weren't told about this," said Jonathan.

"Have youse guys already forgotten? This is a contest that's being broadcast live to the outside world in order to determine the world's fate. We're going to show which is better, hope or despair. Why do youse think we have twenty of youse guys in total? Ten on the side of hope, and ten on the side of despair. Unfortunately, this is the end of your unity, from now on its civil war," said Diablokuma.

"No way, we are not turning on each other," I replied.

"If youse want to play, that's what youse have to do. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. It's either civil war, or automatic execution!" Diablokuma cackled.

"I don't really want to side with him, but those are the rules," said Halokuma. "It is the Mastermind's will, which means it is our big brother's will, which means it is our will."

"…" we all looked around at each other in fear and suspicion.

"What do you guys think?" Micho asked.

"It pains me having to go along with anything the Masteridiot says, but it's either that or instant disqualification. And you know what that means, right?" Jonathan asked.

"Execution," said Aya.

"Well no matter what, it still comes down to killing, right?" Nate asked. "So even if we are on opposite teams, as long as nobody does anything stupid we should be alright."

"That's right, remember guys! No matter what, no murder!" Sawa exclaimed.

"So we're in agreement then? All for the teams, say I," said Izuru.

'Guess we have no choice,' I thought to myself.

"I!" we all exclaimed.

"All oppose?" Izuru replied.

"Ney!" Usami exclaimed, making us all turn to her. "What are you all doing?! You can't trust a word they say! They're as bad as Monokuma! I just know it!" Usami came out in front of us and took a defensive stance against Halokuma and Diablokuma. "You can't make them do anything unwillingly, you're not that powerful! But I'm powerful enough to erase you from existence!"

"Yikes, what do we do now dear brother?!" Halokuma exclaimed in fear.

"What else?!" Diablokuma exclaimed. "We keep the bunny at bay until the boss gets here!" He took up a defensive stance and Halokuma followed suit. "Youse don't scare me, youse dumb bunny! Youse wanna rumble! Well I say, bring it on!"

"I failed once before, and because of that I lost several of my precious students. But I will not fail a second time, I'm stronger than I was before. I will not let Monokuma take anyone else away from me!" Usami exclaimed. And suddenly, that wicked chuckle filled the air.

" _*Upupupupupupupupu*_ " Monokuma cackled. "Speak of the devil and he will appear!" he shouted from an unknown location.

"Hey boss, dat's my line! Where's the respect?!" Diablokuma shouted.

"D-Don't antagonize him, dear brother," Halokuma said as he cowered in fear.

"Where are you, you demon?! Show yourself! I won't let you have your way anymore!" Usami shouted as she waved her magic wand around.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A bunny dressed up like a magical girl? It's a little early for Halloween, isn't it?" Monokuma replied from his unknown location.

"You know damn well who I am, you demon! You're not going to get the better of me this time!" Usami replied.

"What are you talking about, weirdo? I don't know you. I don't know you at…Wait. Wait a second. Now that I look closely, I do see a bit of a resemblance. Could it be?! I have to see this for myself!" And then suddenly the ground beneath our feet began to shake, and soon a giant fissure opened up under the tree, and the most unbelievable sight occurred. Something began to rise up under the tree, and push its roots up out of the ground. And soon the object in the question popped up from under the tree and caused the oak tree to soar threw the air and crash about ten meters away. Then it was unobstructed, the object rose to the surface completely and revealed itself to us. It was a large, ugly bronze statue that appeared to be a jumble of different creatures, including a mountain lion, a horse, a snake, a bird, and a giant monster. On the surface of the statue was a large engraving that read _Jabberwock_. And on top of the statue sat a little black and white robotic teddy bear, who we had come to know and hate as Monokuma. "Hello down there, did you guys miss me?! I missed you!" Then he hopped down from the statue and landed in front of Halokuma and Diablokuma.

"Sorry about that little interference we had earlier. I wasn't expecting anymore guests, but low and behold we get a surprise visitor in the form of an agent from the Future Foundation aka World Ender," Monokuma said as he motioned to Usami.

"The only people who call us that are horrible people like you that represent Ultimate Despair! And as long as I'm here, I will not allow you to harm a hair on these innocent children!" Usami exclaimed as she brandished her wand.

Monokuma chuckled. "I'm guessing that you're not alone and the rest of the Future Foundation is listening in right now to find out what me and the boys here are up to, but I think they've made my positions on this subject very clear. What I want is neither despair nor hope, what I want is revenge against the two."

"You say that, but what do you even mean?! You're not the Monokuma I remember!"

"Of course not, I'm better. I have truly realized what the world needs, and that is…nothing. The world needs nothing. It could go on without hope or despair, or both, just fine. But you and the Future Foundation, and the remaining members of Ultimate Despair have fought and fought and fought endlessly for years over those two ideas. Blissfully unaware that those ideals themselves are meaningless," Monokuma explained.

"What?" Usami seemed confused.

"Hope and despair are just words, meant to represent feelings that people like Junko Enoshima and Makoto Naegi have towards the world. But the words themselves are meaningless. There's no right answer. What is hope in one person's eyes can be despair in another person's eyes, and vice versa. Hope and despair are nothing but concepts that stupid people find stupid meanings in. And look at what those meanings have done to the world…have done to me. I lost everything I had because of hope and despair. They left me with nothing, absolutely nothing. So that's what I'm going to do to them. I am going to finish this meaningless war once and for all. These kids will decide which ideal deserves to live and which deserves to die, only one will remain by the end of this game. Hope or despair. When this is done, there will be no more fighting, no more bloodshed, no more pain, no more sadness. I'm going to end everyone's suffering while at the same time getting revenge on the two ideals that wronged me so…and all the living people who represent those ideals will be forced to watch as I unravel everything they stand for. You know who you are, Future Foundation members and Ultimate Despairs alike. By the end of this game, I assure you…you will know my suffering. I will take away everything you stand for; I will leave you with nothing."

Then Monokuma cocked his head to the side. "But for now, I have to ask. My little imouto, what are you doing in that ridiculous getup?"

"Imouto? Usami-sensei, you're Monokuma's little sister?" Beigoma asked.

"It's a lie! He's just a weirdo!" Usami replied.

"Now, now Monomi, it's not nice to lie. I've been looking all over for you, where have you been young lady?" Monokuma asked.

"I have no idea what's going on anymore. Is Usami-sensei in league with Monokuma?" Chihiro asked.

"No, I'm not! He's lying! I don't have a brother!" Usami replied.

Monokuma looked down in the dumps. "Aww, Monomi, that hurts Onii-chan's feelings." Then he perked up really quick. "Looks like I'm going to have to make you remember who you really are!" Then Monokuma lunged at Monomi and the two of them began to fight and enter a cat scratch cloud. "Now hold still, missy!"

"No, No! I don't want to turn into that horrible design again!" Usami shouted.

"The more you struggle, the longer this will take!" Monokuma shouted.

"I won't do it! I won't let you control me again!" Usami shouted.

"You're going to become your true self and like it! The audience likes you better this way anyway!" Monokuma shouted. And then when the dust cleared, Usami had completely changed her appearance. She was now half white and half pink, and one of her eyes had been ripped off and had been replaced with a red crayon drawn eye. And instead of her magical girl outfit, she was now wearing a simple diaper.

"No! Not again!" Usami cried.

Monokuma held up her wand in his hand. "There, you're back to normal now Monomi. You've been a naughty little sister, running away like that. But I'll make sure to punish you really good. And now that you're finally back, looks like you won't be needing this anymore." Monokuma dropped Usami's wand down on the ground and then stepped on it, cracking it beneath his foot.

"No! How could this happen again?! I'm supposed to be stronger now!" Usami cried.

"Please, you think you're the only one who's gotten a little upgrade? I told you, I'm not the same Monokuma as before! I'm new and improved, and I've got minions now too! Boys, don't be rude! Come over here and say hello to your little sister!" Monokuma motioned to Halokuma and Diablokuma.

"Onee-chan! / Dear sister!" Halokuma and Diablokuma rushed over to Usami and caught her in a bear hug.

"No! I'm not Monomi, I'm Usami! I'm Magical Girl Miracle * Usami!" Usami…no Monomi, I guess, cried.

"W-What just happened?" Cam asked.

"Something bad hebi," Azami replied.

"So much for being all powerful, eh?" Deva replied.

"Upgrades are a bitch, aren't they?" Monokuma replied. "Oh and speaking of upgrades. I took the time to upgrade a few more memorable things. How's about another blast from the past, Monomi…and listeners from the Future Foundation?" Monokuma pulled out his signature remote control and pressed one of the buttons on it. And then the earth began to shake again.

"Seriously again, dude?!" Nate exclaimed.

"What now?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Mes amis, look!" Connie pointed to the ugly bronze statue and we followed her gaze.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, the bronze statue began to crack and crumble and then in a few moments it shattered completely, revealing that the bronze statue wasn't really a statue. The creatures in the statue were actually alive, and when the bronze shell was removed they began to move and let loose loud mechanical sounds.

"What the fuck are those things?!" Nodaka shouted.

"Giant robot monsters! So freaking cool!" Cam exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"M-M-M-Monobeasts?!" Monomi screamed.

"Monobeasts?!" Sawa repeated.

"That's right, say hello to the fearsome creatures whose sole purpose is to punish any naughty kids who get naughty ideas in their heads about breaking rules. The Monobeasts!"

"How? How can this be possible? Are you…are you the one who stole it?" Monomi quietly muttered.

"Now then, I believe I promised you an upgrade, so check this shit out!" Monokuma exclaimed. Monokuma began to do this awkward dance and then after a few moments he pushed his paws out and shouted, "It's morphing time!" Then all of a sudden four more Monokumas came out of nowhere and stood on either side of the original Monokuma. "Monokuma Rangers, power up!" Then there was a big flash of light and one of the craziest things of the whole day began to play out before our eyes. The five Monokumas began to morph into multi-colored costumes. Yes, like Power Rangers. Then when the light faded, all the Monokumas struck poses and shouted their names. "Faster than a bolt of lightning, Monokuma Yellow! As vast and deep as the great blue sea, Monokuma Blue! Hidden in the forest, he lurks deep within, Monokuma Green! A great wind is left behind in his wake, Monokuma Pink! Fierier than a crimson blaze, Monokuma Red! Monokuma Rangers go!"

"Okay this is getting a little ridiculous," said Keiko.

"That's not even close to the end. Ready Monobeasts? Assemble!" Monokuma Red shouted. Then all of a sudden the Monobeasts all leaped up into the air and then they began to change their bodies into different shapes and forms. The giant creature lost its arms, and then its arms were replaced by the torsos of the mountain lion Monobeast and the horse Monobeast. Then the snake Monobeast attached itself to its backside and formed a tail, and finally the bird Monobeast formed the shape of a helmet and locked itself onto the giant creature Monobeast's head. And when that was done the Monobeast had formed a giant fighting robot. Yep, a Megazord. Then the Monokuma Rangers hopped up and latched onto the Monobeast Megazord and began to control it.

"How's this for new and improved?!" Monokuma Red shouted at us from up above.

"Forget ridiculous, this is downright terrifying!" Shiro shouted.

* * *

UD3 – EXTRAS

* * *

Now, just so you know. The Team Rocket motto I used is the original Japanese version for the Kanto region. I just thought that would sound better coming out of Halokuma and Diablokuma's mouths than the Americanized version.

* * *

A/N: Obviously I didn't meet my goal. The holidays got so hectic and I got really sidetracked. I apologize, I'll try to have the next post up within a few days. I hope you continue to bear with me.


	30. Chapter 1, Part 14

A/N: Stay tuned for big surprises this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 14: Under lock and key**

* * *

"Upgrades are a bitch, aren't they?" Monokuma replied. "Oh and speaking of upgrades. I took the time to upgrade a few more memorable things. How's about another blast from the past, Monomi…and listeners from the Future Foundation?" Monokuma pulled out his signature remote control and pressed one of the buttons on it. And then the earth began to shake again.

"Seriously again, dude?!" Nate exclaimed.

"What now?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Mes amis, look!" Connie pointed to the ugly bronze statue and we followed her gaze.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, the bronze statue began to crack and crumble and then in a few moments it shattered completely, revealing that the bronze statue wasn't really a statue. The creatures in the statue were actually alive, and when the bronze shell was removed they began to move and let loose loud mechanical sounds.

"What the fuck are those things?!" Nodaka shouted.

"Giant robot monsters! So freaking cool!" Cam exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"M-M-M-Monobeasts?!" Monomi screamed.

"Monobeasts?!" Sawa repeated.

"That's right, say hello to the fearsome creatures whose sole purpose is to punish any naughty kids who get naughty ideas in their heads about breaking rules. The Monobeasts!"

"How? How can this be possible? Are you…are you the one who stole it?" Monomi quietly muttered.

"Now then, I believe I promised you an upgrade, so check this shit out!" Monokuma exclaimed. Monokuma began to do this awkward dance and then after a few moments he pushed his paws out and shouted, "It's morphing time!" Then all of a sudden four more Monokumas came out of nowhere and stood on either side of the original Monokuma. "Monokuma Rangers, power up!" Then there was a big flash of light and one of the craziest things of the whole day began to play out before our eyes. The five Monokumas began to morph into multi-colored costumes. Yes, like Power Rangers. Then when the light faded, all the Monokumas struck poses and shouted their names. "Faster than a bolt of lightning, Monokuma Yellow! As vast and deep as the great blue sea, Monokuma Blue! Hidden in the forest, he lurks deep within, Monokuma Green! A great wind is left behind in his wake, Monokuma Pink! Fierier than a crimson blaze, Monokuma Red! Monokuma Rangers go!"

"Okay this is getting a little ridiculous," said Keiko.

"That's not even close to the end. Ready Monobeasts? Assemble!" Monokuma Red shouted. Then all of a sudden the Monobeasts all leaped up into the air and then they began to change their bodies into different shapes and forms. The giant creature lost its arms, and then its arms were replaced by the torsos of the mountain lion Monobeast and the horse Monobeast. Then the snake Monobeast attached itself to its backside and formed a tail, and finally the bird Monobeast formed the shape of a helmet and locked itself onto the giant creature Monobeast's head. And when that was done the Monobeast had formed a giant fighting robot. Yep, a Megazord. Then the Monokuma Rangers hopped up and latched onto the Monobeast Megazord and began to control it.

"How's this for new and improved?!" Monokuma Red shouted at us from up above.

"Forget ridiculous, this is downright terrifying!" Shiro shouted.

"Behold our power! I give you the Monobeast King Fighter Supreme!" Monokuma Red shouted at us from up above.

"It's definitely cool looking, but the name's not that catchy, you know," said Cam.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Monsieur King of Hearts," Connie added. "But I also can't help but wonder if this is le only form they can change into. The transformation by itself is interesting but after seeing them do that a few times in a row I can see it becoming a bit repetitive, no? What would be even better is if it had different mode changes for each episode, that way it can always keep you guessing, no?"

"I like the way you think, Takemi-san. But pulling that off would take a lot of creative and imaginative artists, and even then there's not telling that each mode it turns into would have staying power. I think what would be better is if they gave it a bunch of special moves and introduce a new one to finish off the bad guy in each episode. That way they would have a lot more options, you know," said Cam.

"A different special move each episode, eh? You mean, give each Monobeast their own move to use when they turn into their combined form?" Connie asked.

"That and fusion moves, that would be so badass," Cam added.

"So what special moves do you think le Monobeast Roi Combattant Suprême actually has?" Connie asked Cam.

Cam had stars in his eyes and usual excited expression. "Oh man, is that how you say it in French? Now that's a sweet name. Any foreign name sounds uber cool, you know."

"Oh for God sakes, would you two stop geeking out already and be scared shitless like the rest of us?!" Jonathan shouted at Connie and Cam.

"Thank you!" Monokuma Red exclaimed. "I didn't want to be the one to say it but this is obviously meant to inflict terror! Meanwhile, the two of them were just flapping their jaws like they were watching Saturday morning cartoons! It's freaking infuriating!"

"Yeah!" Monokuma Blue exclaimed.

"What I said!" Monokuma Yellow exclaimed.

"I'm with that guy!" Monokuma Green exclaimed.

"Shut it, you nerds!" Monokuma Pink exclaimed.

"Geez, excuse us for liking robots so much. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I live and breathe tech. I'm the Ultimate AV Technician, you know," Cam replied.

"And as le Ultime Horologist, I love discovering and observing le inner workings of machines. I like finding out what makes them tick, so to speak. You all get my passion, no?" Connie replied.

"Connie-chan, I love it when you talk about your talent. You get this cute little twinkle in your eye, and everything. But right now, I think we should worry that Monokuma is going to crush us with his giant robot, not be busy marveling at it," said Keiko.

Connie sighed. "C'est la vie. When did she become le sérieux? Role reversal, no?"

Monokuma Red cleared his throat to get our attention. "If you guys are done now; I'd like to get back to my evil threats if that's okay?"

"Sure why not? You have the floor," said Beigoma.

Monokuma Red huffed. "I'm beginning to think that you guys are making fun of me. What you think I just engineered the Monobeasts to become a Megazord and dressed up as a Power Ranger for a gag?"

"Honestly, yeah?" Nate replied.

"Then I guess a demonstration is in order. I'm going to show you guys that I'm not joking by showing off Monobeast King Fighter Supremes' true power!"

"You're going to kill us with that thing?!" Shiro exclaimed in fear.

"Kill you with Monobeast King Fighter Supreme? No, no, no. That's your job, why would I kill any of you? No, I've got another guinea pig in mind. Or should I say guinea rabbit!" Monokuma Red shouted.

"Oh no," Monomi replied with a gulp.

"Oh Monomi, I think it's time that your Onii-chan gave you a punishment for running off and leaving me alone. Why because of you I had to create your two numbskull younger brothers out of sheer loneliness. Therefore, you deserve a nice punishment to show me that you're truly sorry," Monokuma Red said to Monomi.

"Monokuma…no, I mean Onii-chan you don't need to do that. I'm sorry I ran away, I promise I won't ever leave you alone again," Monomi said as she was sweating bullets.

"It's too late for that! It's time for another heart-pounding, adrenaline rushing, brutally fun punishment time!" Monokuma Red shouted.

* * *

MONOKUMA RANGERS POWER UP! UNLEASH MONOBEAST KING FIGHTER SUPREME'S OBLIVION SWORD!

* * *

The Monokuma Rangers controlled the movements of Monobeast King Fighter Supreme as it flexed its arms and let loose an ear-piercing mechanical shriek. It was so loud that we all had to cover our ears to deal with the intensity. Then Monobeast King Fighter Supreme stopped shrieking and swung its right arm, the Monobeast mountain lion, back over his shoulder. The eyes on the mountain lion Monobeast began to glow red, and within moment a large silver blade popped out of its mouth, giving the Monobeast King Fighter Supreme a sword to smite its enemies with. Then it began to march forward until it stood directly over Monomi, who looked up into the face of the large robot and responded by shaking like a leaf. Then Monobeast King Fighter Supreme began twirling its right arm like a windmill, it twirled its arm faster, and faster, and faster until it suddenly crashed its sword down to Earth and over Monomi's head, cutting only her ear bow in the process. Needless to say, Monomi was still cowering in fear, but when Monobeast King Fighter Supreme didn't go through with its attack she thought she was safe and breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Only for her relief to turn to shock the next second when Monobeast King Fighter Supreme brought its sword down completely and chopped of Monomi's right ear.

Then Monobeast King Fighter Supreme took on a parrying stance, similar to that of a fencer, and let loose a series of devastating slash attacks at Monomi. But the slashes from the sword were so powerful that instead of just cutting Monomi up, they cut everything within a five kilometer radius. The flowers, the grass, the trees, and the air around us. They even managed to carve several scratches into the interior of the dome that surrounded us…and as previously stated the dome was meant to be practically indestructible. The wind and dust kicked up by Monobeast King Fighter Supreme's attacks was so powerful that it about knocked all off our feet. And soon Monobeast King Fighter Supreme's attacks slowed and I started to make out what it was doing. The robot was actually carving the kanji for "hope", 希望 (kibō), into Monomi with each sword thrust…I guess Monokuma was trying to be funny about it. And then finally Monobeast King Fighter Supreme's attacks stopped all together and it retracted its sword and struck a victory pose.

* * *

ENEMY DEFEATED!

* * *

Much to our horror, the space that once occupied Monomi had been replaced by a small crater of disheveled dirt. The only sign of life that she had ever been there was a small piece of her bow, which was buried in the dirt. The carnage around us was unbelievable, everything looked like it had been sliced into microscopic pieces. For a few moments we all just stood there in silence, until a loud, grating mechanical sound brought us back to our senses. We looked up and saw the Monobeasts were beginning to separate from each other, and within a few seconds they were back to being five giant robots instead of just one colossal one. The five Monokuma Rangers also appeared on the ground again, and they returned to their regular Monokuma forms. "Alright, show's over fellas. Head back to your posts. Monobeasts, you go to your guard positions. Don't let anyone who isn't me pass," the head Monokuma gave the other robots instructions. And within a few moments we were alone with Monokuma and his two minions, Halokuma and Diablokuma.

"Dat shit was freaking awesome boss!" Diablokuma exclaimed. "The little bunny didn't know what was coming!"

"It was interesting to see the Monobeasts in action, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't say that the display was a little too savage," said Halokuma.

"Hey, if I didn't do something extreme to get rid of that little pest we were never going to get things started," Monokuma replied. "She was going to hold up the whole game if she wasn't stopped."

"How could you do something so horrible like that?!" Beigoma suddenly shouted at Monokuma. "Usami-sensei wasn't doing anything wrong! You proved that you were more powerful than her, but you didn't have to go and kill her! That was just too cruel!" Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Asa-chan?" I muttered.

"Hora hora!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Don't get your panties in a bunch little girl. Monomi's not dead. Trust me, my little sister has the survival rate of a cockroach."

"But you sliced her up into like a million little pieces," Nate replied.

"Are you forgetting that we're robots, dingus?" Monokuma replied. "If I've got spare bodies to spare, then so does she. But believe me when I say that I have far more health insurance, at most she has a little over ten bodies to spare. So she has just a little bit more luck than a cat, nothing all that special. Trust me, I give her a day and she'll be crawling out of whatever crevice she crawled into to hide. Besides, I made good use of one of her spare bodies as an example to what happens to anyone who disobeys the rules of the game. One of the big rules is against outside interference. In other words, I forbid direct help for you guys from anyone in the outside world. That's why Usa…whatever the hell her real name is, is all but powerless in here. From now on, until the end of the game she'll just be Monomi, my little sister."

"You're not going to get away with this," said Micho. "The Future Foundation will stop you."

Monokuma cackled. "The Future Foundation? That's who you're pinning your hopes on for rescue? That's rich."

"What's so funny about that?" Aya asked.

"Have you guys forgotten what Junko-chan said to you all just a few hours ago?" Monokuma asked.

 **Flashback:**

" _Now back to the matter at hand. Where was I? Oh yeah, right! Yeah, you guys already agreed to join. All of you. Mukuro, they're just like you in every way. All of them are also Ultimate Despair."_

" _What?!" we all exclaimed in unison._

 _Junko smirked innocently and pretended to stretch her arms up over her head in boredom. "You didn't know? Oh yeah, that's right. You guys had your memories erased didn't you? Tough luck, that means you guys can't remember a thing from the last seven years can you?"_

" _Y-You're kidding?! There's no way we're in league with Ultimate Despair! No way!" I shouted._

" _I would never ever join a horrible group like that!" Micho shouted._

" _No way in hell is that true!" Jonathan shouted._

" _You're crazy! You're just trying to mess with us! Admit it!" Yasuke shouted._

" _How do you know?" she asked innocently. "Can you guys remember anything?"_

 **Flashback:**

" _Anyways, yeah basically you all decided to join up with Ultimate Despair before we gave your memories the old eraser treatment," said Junko._

" _Shut up! We know you're lying already!" I shouted at her._

" _Yeah, I am lying. But only a little. It was just a few of you who decided to join during the big gap," said Junko. "And a few of you were like Mukuro, and were members before any of this even started."_

" _Enough lies!" I shouted at her._

" _I'm not lying…much," Junko replied. "Why don't you ask yourself if you're so sure nobody here's one of our sleeper agents? We could've even picked someone as boring as you to join us. Ultimate Despair's not that picky."_

" _I would never, and I know that no one else here would either!" I exclaimed in determination._

" _Really? Are you sure, you're sure?" Junko replied._

"Are you talking about, what she said about some of us being Ultimate Despairs?" I asked.

"Right as always, Akira-kun," Monokuma replied.

"That's a bold-faced lie! None of us are in Ultimate Despair!" Jonathan shouted at Monokuma.

"Well, Izu-chan, Nagi-chan, and Mu-chan were weren't they?" Shiro replied.

"Shut up, you know damn well I meant everyone except for them," Jonathan replied.

"It's not a lie, as you know I have no reason to lie to you. I'm an ex-member of Ultimate Despair as well, I'm in the same boat as those three," said Monokuma.

"You and I are nothing alike," Izuru replied.

"Au contraire mon frère," said Monokuma.

"Hey, speaking French is my shtick!" Connie exclaimed.

"Ignore," Monokuma raised his paw up to Connie and returned his attention to the rest of us. "Anyways, I have proven to be truthful so far, correct?" Monokuma asked.

"I guess," Micho replied. "Everything that you say that's happened. There's strong evidence that it's all the truth."

"There you have it, I have an honest to God attorney's trust," said Monokuma.

"I never said that I trust you. I just said that so far you appear to be telling the truth," Micho replied with a glare.

"Same diff. I haven't lied to you so far, so you can rest assured that I'm not lying now. I'm telling you the whole truth, and nothing but. Some of you, are indeed Ultimate Despair," said Monokuma.

"…" we all look paused and looked at each other in confusion and suspicion.

"But unlike Junko-chan, I pay attention to everything in detail. While she was busy reveling in all of her mischief over these long years, I have been studying and cataloging every single member of Ultimate Despair. So I know which ones of you are leading a double life. But as to who those people are, well you're just going to have to find that out on your own," Monokuma replied.

"Okay, so say if some of us are Ultimate Despair? That's not going to affect the way the Future Foundation treats us right?" Chihiro asked.

Monokuma chuckled. "You're kidding right? Do you not remember everything that Diablokuma and Halokuma told you a little while ago about those hope-nuts? Thanks to that naughty, naughty Kyosuke-kun the Future Foundation has a zero tolerance policy towards anyone infected with despair. No matter who they are, or no matter who they used to be…if they're infected with despair, they're marked for death. The Future Foundation sees the only way to eliminate despair completely, is by physically cleansing it from the Earth."

"C-Cleansing? You don't mean like…" Keiko struggled to get her question out.

"Genocide?" Nagito finished her thought.

"I wouldn't put it past that sword-wielding maniac. As far as he is concerned, you are all to be eliminated," Monokuma replied.

Deva shook his head. "Kyo-Kyo, what's happened to you, man?"

"But you said that only a few of us were Ultimate Despairs, right?" Jose asked. "So why would the Future Foundation want to kill all of us?"

"Because, here you will be isolated with despair itself, hiding behind the mask of friendship. To the Future Foundation, by communicating and working with Ultimate Despairs, you are Ultimate Despairs as well. Their paranoia is vast and truly unsettling. Don't believe me, how's about a tale of caution. There was once a young member of the Future Foundation who chose to see the good in others. For now, let's just call him Mr. N. Anyways, Mr. N stumbled across a group of Ultimate Despairs who were a lot like you guys. Before Junko-chan got her hands on them they were all happy go-lucky high schoolers brimming with hope. And then Junko-chan turned them into the essence of evil and that was how the rest of the world saw them from that point. But Mr. N being naïve, thought he could find a way to reverse the effects that Junko-chan's brainwashing had on them. And it actually worked, they were cured. However, by doing this he went against the wishes of the Future Foundation and as a consequence they labeled him a traitor and tried to have him executed alongside the student he saved."

"Is that true?" Jose asked.

"Honest to God, the Future Foundation is even more paranoid than Ultimate Despair. And as you all know every member of Ultimate Despair is bat shit crazy. So what does that tell you?" Monokuma asked.

"So then all that stuff Usami-sensei and Gekkogahara-chan said was…?" Beigoma struggled getting her sentence out.

"A lie," Mukuro finished her thought. "I should've known, everything she said was lies and I fell for it. They don't care about us; they just want to kill us like Ultimate Despair." Mukuro's logic sounded true enough, but I could tell by her tone that she was more hurt than any of us. How could she not be? Usami lied right to her face.

"Look, I'm not saying that everyone who believes in hope is like those jackals who lead the Future Foundation, heck maybe even some of those jackals aren't all that bad, but I'm telling you as a person who actually thinks a lot of you guys. I would never lie to you guys, you're my bread and butter. You guys are the key components for my plan to succeed in ending the war between hope and despair. Nobody else can decide how the war will end but you, not Ultimate Despair, not the Future Foundation, you. The fate of the world literally rests in your hands. Which ideal should the world embrace? Hope? Despair? Or neither?" Monokuma asked.

"Hope of course, why is there even any question?" Nagito replied.

"Because some people out there still believe in despair. They believe that the world cannot be rebuilt so the only way to help it is to destroy it and start anew. While the believers in hope feel that the world is worth saving and shouldn't be given up on. And because of those two ideals the world has seen much chaos since you all disappeared seven years ago. So I have taken it upon myself to show the world your struggle in order to determine which ideal is worthy of surviving. So for that reason, you now will be split up into teams. Do you all agree to the terms of the game, or do you need some more convincing? Because I'd love to show you the surprise functions of those collars you all are wearing," said Monokuma.

"No, we've already decided it was okay," I replied.

"Excellent, excellent. Now then…" Monokuma suddenly disappeared into thin air and then a few seconds later he reappeared with a familiar purple top hat clutched in his right paw. "Let us begin with the drawing!"

"Hey, Monsieur Monokuma! What's le big idea taking my hat?!" we all turned back behind us to see that Connie was indeed missing her top hat.

"Sorry, I needed a hat for the drawing, and yours was the first one I saw," Monokuma replied. Then he pulled out a handful of paper strips and dropped them into the hat, then he shook up the hat and presented it to us. "To make everything fair, we're going to draw by lottery to pick which team everyone gets on. There are two teams, Kagayaku Mirai ("Shining Future") which will fight for the side of hope, and Kurai Mirai ("Dark Future") which will fight for the side of despair. Now in this hat, there are twenty strips of paper, ten say Kagayaku Mirai and ten say Kurai Mirai. And the team that you draw is the one you join, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Are we all clear?" Monokuma asked.

"Yes," we all replied. Then Monokuma scurried about to each one of us and gave us the chance to draw a team out of the top hat. I drew first, and then the others went, and finally Connie, who also received her hat back upon picking the last team out of her top hat.

"Okay, if your team is Kagayaku Mirai, form a line to the left of me, and if your team is Kurai Mirai, form a line to the right of me," said Monokuma. This was it, no turning back. I opened up my folded strip of paper and read the contents.

 _Kagayaku Mirai_

'I'm fighting for hope then.' But to be honest, after hearing all those horrible things about the Future Foundation I was beginning to wonder if their hope was even worth fighting for. I swallowed my pride and walked to Monokuma's left, forming a line with the others who were picked to join Kagayaku Mirai. I looked around and saw who my teammates were. Micho, Beigoma, Nate, Aya, Deva, Sawa, Connie, Chihiro, and to no surprise the boy who loved hope more than life, Nagito. I looked back at Nodaka and frowned. She frowned as well. This meant that we wouldn't be on the same team together, which definitely sucked.

Then the others who picked Kurai Mirai formed a line on Monokuma's right. Making up Kurai Mirai was Yasuke, Mukuro, Nodaka, Cam, Jonathan, Jose, Keiko, Shiro, Azami, and surprisingly the Ultimate Hope himself, Izuru. We all stood face to face, each one of my teammates locking eyes with a member of Kurai Mirai. This was it, this was life now.

"Aww come on! This is just perfect! I finally get a cute girlfriend and now I've been separated from her!" Keiko whined.

Connie groaned in embarrassment and tried to cover her face with her top hat.

"Chihiro-chan, even if we're on opposite sides now, you should know that no matter what, I will always love you," Cam said as he flashed Chihiro a toothy grin.

Chihiro covered her face as well, but in more of a shy manner, not in an annoyed manner like Connie.

"Calm down, calm down," said Monokuma. "There's no rule that says you all can't interact with each other. As a matter of fact, you're encouraged to interact with your opposition. So whatever little romance is between you guys, don't think of it as a star-crossed lover situation. That is way too clichéd."

"A valid point," Jose added in agreement.

"No, the teams exist solely for use in the game. If there weren't any teams, then there's no way any of the rules I made up would make any sense," Monokuma explained.

"You keep talking about rules, but so far we haven't seen any," said Micho.

"Oh goodness me, did I forget to give you guys a copy of the rules?" Monokuma asked in embarrassment. "Sorry, that's my bad. Here, I'll upload them to your e-handbooks now." And then a few moments later, we all heard our e-handbooks emit an exuberant _*ding*_. "That should do it. Go ahead and check them out, I'll wait." As instructed, we all retrieved our e-handbooks from our person and opened them up. Once again, the e-handbook glowed and released a whimsical ringtone like it was a cellphone. And then big letters flashed onto the screen that read:

HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY

Everything was the same except for the addition of a new tab in the e-handbook's folder labeled _Rules and Regulations_. I clicked on the tab and a new screen opened up, which had a series of rules written down on them. They were the following:

 _ **Rule#1 –**_ _All students entered into the Killing Despairadise were given a special collar, nicknamed keycollar, with instructions to keep it on at all times. As you may have noticed when you first put them on they do not come off easily. This is due to the special magnetic lock located in the base of the keycollar. Once both ends of the lock connect they will not come apart no matter how much force you use on them. However, students should be advised that you are not allowed to apply continual force on the keycollar in order to break it off. Any student who tries to do so will receive an incredible amount of pain curtesy of the electrical transformer located inside the keycollar. Think of it like a dog collar, act up and *zap, zap, zap*!_

 _ **Rule#2 –**_ _Students should also be advised that the keycollar monitors your movements as well as allows access to certain areas marked with deadly booby traps, such as machine guns, and even more fun and nasty tricks. Even if you use your e-handbook to open the door to these so-called "Red Areas", you will be unable to enter them unless you are wearing your keycollar. So it is in your best interest to just leave them on and avoid any unnecessary bloodshed._

 _ **Rule#3 –**_ _It should also be noted that there are only two ways to successfully remove your keycollar. First of all, each keycollar has a built in function that automatically monitors the wearer's heartbeat. And if the wearer's heartbeat reaches zero, then the keycollar automatically shuts off and releases its automatic lock. In other words, any person who dies automatically loses their keycollar. However, there is a safer way to remove them. In order to do it this wussy way, all you need to do is find the correct combination to use on the combo lock located on the side of your keycollar. But be forewarned, there is one combination lock for each student involved in the Killing Despairadise, and each combination only works once. So if a student finds a combination and uses it to remove their keycollar then another student cannot use the same combination on their own keycollar. That would be too easy._

 _ **Rule#4 –**_ _The combinations for the keycollars are hidden all over Despairadise, so there's no telling where each one is hiding._

 _ **Rule#5 –**_ _Students should note that successfully removing your keycollar does not result in an automatic win. This is just to remove the collars from the equation. The rules still stand the same, the only way to leave is to kill someone. The keycollar removal just works as a cheat on that end. The keycollars have a unique wireless syncing function that allows them to sync with each other and monitor each other's movements. Each time a pair of keycollars come within three meters of each other they will administer a small electronic *beep* which lets you know that one of your fellow students is near you. But keycollars that have been removed and disarmed do not have to adhere to this function. Therefore, a collarless student can sneak up someone unexpectedly and kill them by surprise. Easy pickings, eh?_

 _ **Rule#6 –**_ _Okay only two more rules about the keycollars. First of all, this next rule concerns the bright, red number on your keycollar. This is referred to as the paranoia meter, which measures the keycollar wearer's current paranoia level when it comes to trusting their fellow students. At first each collar's paranoia level should be set automatically to five. This is the healthy in-between for a trusting nature and a paranoid nature, not too trusting but trusting enough. Every day the meter on each student's keycollar will either rise or fall. If it goes below five then that means you're getting to trust each other more, and if it goes above five than that means that you're getting close to the breaking point. And here's a big hint: keep an eye on anyone who goes above five, those are the likeliest to commit murder._

 _ **Rule#7 –**_ _This concerns the last function of the keycollars, the Lock and Key recorder. As you play the game there are certain actions, nicknamed locks, that you all are forbidden from committing during your time in Despairadise. Each student's lock is different, ranging from miniscule and hilarious to "oh my God you better kill someone before you break this"! Anyway, the keycollars respond to each wearer when they break their lock just like they respond if you try to tamper with them. Any student who breaks their lock will trigger the final function of the collar, the Lock and Key recorder, which in the worst case injects the user with a deadly poison of my own creation which will kill within a minute of injection. So it would be in your best interest to not break your lock, and also to keep them to yourself. No telling what a so-called friend might do if you let slip your lock. Again, easy pickings._

 _ **Rule#8 –**_ _Now that the keycollars have been explain fully, let's move onto the rules of the game. First of all, students may not break the monitors or security cameras positioned around Despairadise. Any student who does so will be vehemently punished with some severe electro-shock therapy._

 _ **Rule#9 –**_ _The students are split into two teams, Kurai Mirai and Kagayaku Mirai. Kurai Mirai will be playing for the side of despair and Kagayaku Mirai will be playing for the side hope. But just because you're on a certain team that doesn't describe fully who you are. Who knows, a little cuddly bunny might be hiding amongst Kurai Mirai and a hardcore sociopath may be hiding amongst Kagayaku Mirai. The names are merely a formality…maybe._

 _ **Rule#10 –**_ _Be advised that certain areas are in Despairadise are reserved only for certain teams, and opposing teams can only enter these areas if given permission from a member of the team in charge of their area. Anybody who doesn't get permission before entering said reserved area will be vehemently punished. Check the map in your e-handbook to find all the reserved areas so you won't get confused._

 _ **Rule#11 –**_ _In each class trial it is a fight for survival. If the spotless (innocent party), manage to successfully choose the blackened (killer) then only the blackened will be executed and the spotless live to see another day._

 _ **Rule#12 –**_ _However, if the spotless choose the wrong person as the blackened than all the spotless will be executed instead, and the true blackened will be allowed to leave Despairadise._

 _ **Rule#13 –**_ _Since we're playing this game on a team basis, we have a bit of an all for one, one for all rule. In the event that a student kills a member of their opposing team, said student's fellow team members will be allowed to leave with them if they escape getting caught in the coming class trial. On the other hand, if a student kills a fellow team member it resorts to being every man for himself as per ushe._

 _ **Rule#14 –**_ _Students who are part of Kagayaku Mirai should report to Halokuma if any problem or need should arise, and students who are part of Kurai Mirai should report to Diablokuma. Consider them your camp counselors._

 _ **Rule#15 –**_ _You are free to explore Despairadise to your heart's content, but be forewarned that some areas are strictly forbidden to any and all students at certain times. This may include, entrances to different sectors which are guarded by the Monobeasts, or places inside a free-roaming sector which is currently under maintenance. You must obey my authority._

 _ **Rule#16 –**_ _Your lovable headmaster, Monokuma, may make any more rules if the need arises. It is your responsibility to know each and every one._

When I had finished reading them all I looked back up to Monokuma. "Satisfied?" he asked us all. "Think of those sixteen rules as your bible, or Quran, or the holy book of whatever religion it is that you worship. Hey, come to think of it, is there a holy book for Shintoism? I've always wondered that." Then Monokuma waved off his own question. "You know what it doesn't matter, all religion is crap anyway."

"I have a question about these rules," said Yasuke.

"Oh and what may that be, Yasuke-kun?" Monokuma asked.

"The rules concerning these things around our necks," Yasuke replied. The keycollars, Yasuke was asking about the keycollars. As I read over the rules concerning them, I couldn't help but think that their entire design was something nasty and mischievous. Not only did they monitor our heart rates and location, but they also had the power to act as a dog collar and shock us horribly if we misbehaved in any way or if we tried to force them off of our necks. There was also the paranoia feature which could be made out clearly as a red number 5 on everyone's keycollar, and on mine as well I assumed. Due to the keycollar's design I couldn't crane my neck and see if I had a 5 as well. And to top off their mischievous design was the Lock and Key recorder, which had the power to inject us each with a deadly poison if we broke the special lock that was placed on them.

"Yes, what about them?" Monokuma asked.

"I want to know more about the Lock and Key system. But first of all, what are our locks?" Yasuke asked.

"Hmm?" Monokuma replied.

"Our locks? What are each of our locks? Nobody told us about them," Yasuke replied.

"This isn't one of those stupid mind games where you're not going to tell us what our locks are and instead the only way to find out is by triggering them is it?" Jonathan asked.

"Goodness no, that would just plain mean," Monokuma replied. "I mean I'm a cruel sociopath, but not that cruel. Of course you can know what your locks are in advance. I just haven't said anything about them because you should already have access to them."

"Say what now?" Cam replied.

"It's just as I've said, I've already loaded all of the information about your locks into your e-handbooks. I just didn't want to make their location too obvious in case anyone but the owner tried to get ahold of one of the e-handbooks. You'd be surprised how under handed killers can be. Not. But if you guys really want to know all you have to do is ask your e-handbooks," Monokuma replied.

"Ask our e-handbooks?" Chihiro repeated Monokuma's words in confusion.

"Yeah, they're voice-activated. I added that new feature into the old model, and so now the e-handbooks will only show valuable information to the person whose voice matches up with the identity of the e-handbook in question," Monokuma explained. "For instance, only Akira-kun's wimpy little voice can reveal secrets in his e-handbook. And it's the same with all of yours. Don't believe me? Go ahead, try it out for yourselves. But umm…you might want to get a good distance away from each other just to avoid any looky-loos." We all hesitated before doing as Monokuma suggested and getting a safe distance away from each other, and then we spoke to our e-handbooks and asked for the identities of our locks. I looked at a few of the others expressions as they were brought face to face with their locks, and most of them had the color completely drained from their faces.

I was about to do the same, but then I got that bad feeling again that I had gotten so many times before that day. The insight that if I peered into what lied beyond, it would change everything. But I ignored it, I had to know. That was the only thought that was going through my head. So I pressed on and asked my e-handbook, "What's my keycollar's lock?"

And within a few seconds I received a bone-chilling reply. My eyes grew to an enormous size and my hands started to shake out of fear. This was the e-handbook's reply.

 _Subject 20: Akira Maita._

 _Keycollar condition: Armed_

 _Lock status: Unbroken_

 _Lock identity: Martyr Lock - will break if within four days of first receiving keycollar, someone doesn't die._

I should've listened to my gut. It probably would've been better if I had never known what my lock was in the first place. Because everything changed after I found out. One single realization destroyed ever last idea in my head. If someone didn't die soon, then I was going to die.

* * *

A/N: How's that for a twist? M. Night Shyamalan ain't got nothing on me!


	31. Chapter 1, Part 15

A/N: This post is probably the shortest one I've done so far. I intended to add this part into the exploration part but since school started up I haven't had that much time to write. I'm currently working on the exploration right now, so it shouldn't take that long before it's up. In the meantime, a big surprise is in store for you in this part.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 15: Internal struggle**

* * *

I was about to do the same, but then I got that bad feeling again that I had gotten so many times before that day. The insight that if I peered into what lied beyond, it would change everything. But I ignored it, I had to know. That was the only thought that was going through my head. So I pressed on and asked my e-handbook, "What's my keycollar's lock?"

And within a few seconds I received a bone-chilling reply. My eyes grew to an enormous size and my hands started to shake out of fear. This was the e-handbook's reply.

 _Subject 20: Akira Maita._

 _Keycollar condition: Armed_

 _Lock status: Unbroken_

 _Lock identity: Martyr Lock - will break if within four days of first receiving keycollar, someone doesn't die._

I should've listened to my gut. It probably would've been better if I had never known what my lock was in the first place. Because everything changed after I found out. One single realization destroyed every last idea in my head. If someone didn't die soon, then I was going to die.

Before I knew it, that single realization had completely taken over my brain. After I was stuck with this new chilling information I completely broke down. I put away my e-handbook and then just stood quietly and contemplated things. My mind was racing a million miles a minute. I wasn't aware of anything else going on. I could tell that the others thought something bad had happened judging by the looks I felt them give me, but I didn't feel the urge to reassure them that I was alright. Because quite frankly, I wasn't. In mere moments my life shattered into a million little pieces. Any little hope I had was gone. I felt stiff and cold. Almost like death was standing right next to me. That was my fate. Unless it happened to someone else within four days, I would die. After everything we had been through together, after everything we had said to each other to lift our spirts up and keep moving forward, in the end it was all meaningless. That was when I first realized the true power this game had. I experienced the despair of the mutual killing game first hand. In just four days' time, I would be this horrible game's first victim. Of course I wasn't going to be murdered, what was going to end up killing me was the lack of murderous intent that me and the others tried so desperately to overcome.

That was when an even darker thought crept into my head. 'The only way I can live, is if someone else dies,' I thought to myself. But I had faith in them, I had faith that they wouldn't give into the overwhelming temptation and despair that awaited us. Which was why I was sure that none of them would kill. 'If no one dies, then I die. If nothing bad happens, then that's going to happen for sure. This stupid collar is going to kill me!' I inwardly exclaimed. I felt sick. It was an unimaginable nightmare. Imagine, knowing you're going to die no matter what you do. There couldn't be any worse kind of hell. 'I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die!' I was losing it. I couldn't tell my left from my right, or up from down. I could hear the others talking with Monokuma about something, I couldn't make it out though, I was too focused on panicking.

'What do I do?! What the hell do I do?! If I don't do anything I'm going to die! I'm really going to die!' I could hear my inner self shouting. And then suddenly nothing…until another voice crept into my head. I recognized it but I couldn't quite place it at first.

" _You know what you have to do. It's the only way to ensure your survival."_

The appearance of the voice made one of the darkest thoughts of all crawl into my head.

" _KILL THEM!"_

'No, no I can't. I can't do that. I can't possibly do something so horrible to anyone. And especially not them,' I argued with the other voice in my head.

" _If one of them doesn't die then you will die instead. This fact you know all too well. If you don't think the others will show any weakness than it just comes down to one simple conclusion. You have to become the killer."_

" _KILL THEM ALL!"_

'No!' I inwardly exclaimed. 'Never! I'd never do something like that!'

" _Yes you would. I know you would. You and I both know that you've been considering the possibility from the very beginning. Why wouldn't you? It's human instinct. Survival. If someone has to do die, better someone else than you, right?"_

" _KILL THEM ALL! FINISH THIS GAME BEFORE IT FINISHES YOU!"_

I tried to fight back, but I could feel the fear welling inside me. My sense of reason was growing weaker. 'I won't! I can't!'

" _You can…and you will. You and I both know that you're weak."_

" _YOU'RE WEAK!"_

'No! I won't do it! You can't make me!'

" _I'm not going to make you do anything. I'm telling you you're going to do the same thing I did."_

" _YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN ME!"_

I knew I recognized this voice.

" _I was weak, and because of my weakness she's dead. I can never ever forgive myself for that. It's my fault, it's all my fault. It's_ _ **our**_ _fault."_

" _IT'S ALL OUR FAULT!"_

This was me, another side of me but me all the same. And then for the second time that day, I was sucked into a dream-like hell. I could hear the crackling and roaring of a fierce fire. I could smell the smoke, mixed with the thick stench of death. And when I opened my eyes I found myself in a classroom…or at least the remains of a classroom. The windows were broken, the desks were all overturned and scattered about, and the floor and walls were soaked and splattered in a thick bright pink. Blood. My hands felt sticky. I looked down at them, they were also caked in pink, as were my clothes, and the knife I was holding in my hands.

I looked down at my feet. And saw a dead body lying there. I think it was a girl. But it was hard to tell now. The body had been stabbed so many times, in so many different places that the entirety of the body was covered in blood as well, but oddly enough no arteries or major blood vessels were cut. The person who killed her must have wanted her to experience the slow death of exsanguination. The murderer was truly brutal. A true monster. And after that, it took me a few moments before I finally put two and two together. I killed this girl. No, I didn't just kill her. I tortured her. I put her through the most excruciating agony possible as I stabbed her over and over and over again. I'm not sure why I did it. I was sure I had a reason, but whatever it was I couldn't recall.

It was odd. I had killed someone, not only that but her blood covered my body. And yet, I felt nothing. I felt nothing at all. No remorse, no guilt, no pain, nothing. There was nothing. I stared at her corpse, hoping to get some kind of reaction from seeing her face, something to tell me that I was still human. And I did recognize her, she was a girl I knew very well. And to my amazement, I felt nothing. I knew who this girl was, but I couldn't bring myself to feel anything over killing her.

I looked at the knife in my hand and focused on the tiniest bit of the blade that wasn't coated with blood. I saw my face in the blade's reflection. I had a crazed smile and blood red eyes. And that was when I figured out why I didn't feel anything over killing this girl. I was sick. I had become infected with full blown despair fever. I had turned into one of those monsters I had despised so much. I was an Ultimate Despair.

Then I heard a loud _*click*_ and turned to my right. There was someone standing in the doorway, with a gun in their hands. It was someone else I recognized, but I didn't feel any connection to them either so I didn't really care who they were. All I cared about was the gun that they currently had aimed at my head. "Don't move or I'll blow a hole in your head, you son of a bitch kuro."

"Akira!" someone shouted in my ear, getting my attention. I gasped in surprise at the appearance of the familiar face. Nodaka. She gave me a look of worry and concern. "Akira, are you okay?"

Tears swelled up in my eyes and I began to visibly shake. And then without another word, I grabbed Nodaka and pulled her into a vice-like hug. I squeezed her so hard that I probably would've crushed any normal girl, but Nodaka was not normal. Instead she just began hugging me back. It wasn't that long ago that she was crying into my person, and now the tables had turned. I was the one crying my eyes out and she was the one consoling me. "There, there. It's alright, I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

We hugged for what felt like an eternity, and then when I had finally calmed down she looked me deep in the eyes and asked, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"…" I was silent at first, I didn't know how to exactly respond.

"Is this about your lock?" she guessed.

I sighed. "Partially," I simply replied.

Nodaka scoffed. "Come on, it can't be that bad. Can it? I mean the one I got was just plain ridiculous."

"If someone doesn't die within the next four days, then my lock will break," I replied.

Her eyes widened in fear. "Okay, I take it back. That is pretty bad." Nodaka took a moment to collect her nerves and then when that was out of the way she began to enter the five stages of grief, with stage one: denial. She took a deep breath and then put on a positive smile. "There's got to be some kind of mistake. For you to have a lock like that, and for mine to be utterly ridiculous. This is just that little demonic bear's idea of a sick joke. Show me your e-handbook, I bet there's something you missed." I knew it would prove to be a fruitless effort but I did it anyway to dispose of Nodaka's doubts. After I activated my e-handbook she took a look over my personal information and within half a minute she began to slide into the second stage of grief: anger. "That little fucking stuffed gremlin! Wait till I get my hands on him! I'm going to…I'm going to…I'm going to…!" The way she was gripping my e-handbook scared me into thinking she was going to rip it in half in a fit of blind fury so I carefully pulled it away from her and then rested my hands on her shoulders.

"Calm down, calm down. Let's just take a deep breath, okay. I'm already freaking out over this, I can't have you freaking out too," I said to her. She nodded and then took in a deep inhale just as I suggested. And then when she exhaled I expected her to say something befitting of the third stage of grief: bargaining, only to be met with a series of angry outbursts.

"I'm going to get Ikusaba to rip one of his head's off again, then I'm going to chop his headless body up into a million fucking pieces and piss on them! And after that I'll soak them with gasoline and light them on fire! Then when the fire burns out, I'm going to spit on and kick the ashes into oblivion! Then I'm going to put his fucking head on a spike and ever so slowly…!" Turns out Nodaka was stuck on anger. It went on like that for a few more lines. It was kind of cute seeing her get all angry over me but I still believed that she needed anger management. Don't believe me? Please recall that she said she was going to piss, not even pee, piss on the little pieces of Monokuma she cut his body up into…oh yeah, and after that set them on fire and desecrate the ashes.

Nodaka took a few more deep breaths and then fully calmed down. "I just can't believe this. Why did you of all people have to be given a lock, like that? Does Monokuma really expect you to act on it? He of all people should know you're not that kind of person. You wouldn't even hurt a fly. How could you possibly ever kill someone?" she asked.

A shiver went up my spine as I recalled the vision I had just had. There was no doubt about it, that was a vision of the past, just as I had shared with Nagito before. Which means this new event did indeed happen. It was unimaginable but deep down I knew it was the truth. I was an Ultimate Despair, I had killed in the name of that bitch Junko Enoshima and the chaos she stood for, all the while with big smile on my face. I was a killer. There was no escaping that. 'If only she knew the truth. What would she think of me then?' I asked myself.

Nodaka could tell I was still down so she thought of something that might cheer me up. She pulled out her e-handbook and then said, "Show me my lock," and then presented it to me. I was confused at first but then I understood based on the way she looked at me. She trusted me, she trusted me with all her heart.

 _Subject 7: Nodaka Hoshi._

 _Keycollar condition: Armed_

 _Lock status: Unbroken_

 _Lock identity: Memento Lock - will break if keycollar wearer ever removes their most precious keepsake from their person. In this specific wearer's case, her precious necklace is her keepsake._

"See ridiculous, right?" Nodaka asked and then put away her e-handbook, and held up the star pendants of her necklace around her neck. "I'm never taking this off ever again, so there's not even really any reason for me to have this lock."

I smiled and then a moment later I frowned again. "Why did you show me what your lock was? You never know, I could use that information to kill you. Aren't you the least bit afraid of me?"

Nodaka put her hands on her hips and huffed. "Is that some kind of lame joke, because if it is I'm not amused. You would never kill anyone, even when your own life was on the line. I know you, Akira. You're beyond selfless. If it was up to you, you'd probably just keep quiet about your lock and wait out the four days before you bit the dust permanently. You're a thankless hero." She blushed a deep red. "T-That's one of the reasons why I love you, idiot."

I blushed as well upon hearing her response. "Nodaka?"

She grunted. "So how could you even ask me such a stupid question? There's no way I'll ever be scared of you. I trust you with all my heart, and that will never ever change."

I was embarrassed for ever doubting her. "I-I'm sorry, it's just, it's too much. In just four days, I'm going to die. That kind of morality is a bit disturbing."

"Idiot, what did I say?!" Nodaka exclaimed. "I said if this was up to you, that's probably all you would do! But this is not up to you, whether you live or die is up to me, your girlfriend!" she pointed at herself. "And I am not going to let you die!"

"N-Nodaka? Don't tell me you're going to…?" I hesitated before asking her this question.

"What? No way, there ain't no way I'd ever do something like that," Nodaka replied. "I ain't no murderer either."

I was confused. "Then what are you going to do? There's other way to stop the lock from breaking."

Nodaka smirked. "It looks like you already forgot one of the rules. Take another look at your e-handbook," she said. "Rules 3 and 4."

I did as she asked and reread those rules:

 _ **Rule#3 –**_ _It should also be noted that there are only two ways to successfully remove your keycollar. First of all, each keycollar has a built in function that automatically monitors the wearer's heartbeat. And if the wearer's heartbeat reaches zero, then the keycollar automatically shuts off and releases its automatic lock. In other words, any person who dies automatically loses their keycollar._ _ **However, there is a safer way to remove them. In order to do it this wussy way, all you need to do is find the correct combination to use on the combo lock located on the side of your keycollar. But be forewarned, there is one combination lock for each student involved in the Killing Despairadise, and each combination only works once. So if a student finds a combination and uses it to remove their keycollar then another student cannot use the same combination on their own keycollar. That would be too easy.**_

 _ **Rule#4 –**_ _ **The combinations for the keycollars are hidden all over Despairadise, so there's no telling where each one is hiding.**_

My eyes widened in insight. "The combinations! I completely forgot about them!"

Nodaka giggled. "They're hidden all over the place, right? So all we have to do is find one within four days and we can get your collar off. There's no way it can kill you if you're not wearing it."

I chuckled. "Oh my God, there's still a chance. I…I feel much better now." I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. "I was worried for a long time, but now I have a chance. If we can find one before the time limit, I might be able to stick around after all."

Nodaka smiled. "Well then I guess we better get looking. The others are already way ahead of us anyway."

"Oh so while I was out of it they all ran off?" I asked.

"Yeah we all split up so we could explore this place better. We made ten teams of two, a member from both Kagayaku Mirai and Kurai Mirai on each." She blushed again, "Needless to say, I picked you as my partner as fast as I could. Everyone was a little worried about you but I told them that you were going to be fine so they should go on ahead. That was about half an hour ago."

"They've been gone for that long?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Nodaka giggled. "You were really out of it."

* * *

A/N: Okay next is the official exploration. Get ready for mysteries and surprises.


	32. Hiatus explanation

A/N: Hi guys, I know, I know. It's been almost three months since my last update and you're all ready to see what happens next. I apologize for the continued hiatus and I feel bad that you guys haven't even really heard a single word from me since January so for now I'd like to give you an explanation and an update on the situation.

To be honest, I haven't made any progress in writing since early March. I have the map and details of the area for exploration already worked out, all I really have to do is write scenes and dialogue. The problem is that this whole semester has been very tedious for me as I have had to dedicate all my time to my studies. I have one swing class where all I have to do is read books and write short essays, but other than that I've been tied down by endless work for my computer science classes, my statistics class, and my Japanese class. So needless to say, with all the work for those classes I've been exhausted and really haven't felt like writing or doing anything creative for that matter. It feels like it's been years since I last drew anything.

But I want you to know that I am still dedicated to this story. After all the time and effort I've put into it I'd hate to just forget about it. So I swear to you, by some miracle, I will have the next post up by the end of April. And since I don't have any summer work to do this year hopefully I can at last finish Chapter 1 over summer break. It's relatively short since as you guys know the first murder in Danganronpa games happens mainly within three days. The class trial shouldn't take that long for me to write either since I mainly have it all planned out this time. Part of the reason the prologue class trial took so long for me to write was that I started it with the idea for another person besides Junko to be the killer but then in the end decided on her so I had to write myself out of a corner and that took a while to accomplish. But no need to worry about Chapters 1, 2, or 3, I have the murders all worked out for them. And I will not change who the victims or killers are this time! Even if it means some of you will hate me for killing off those characters. So I just want you to know that I have not forgotten about you all or this story.

And it means so much to me that you guys have continually given me your support on this project. My goal has been and is still to make this story one of the greatest pieces of Danganronpa fanfiction of all time. I hope that you continue to come along with me on this road of mayhem and despair. Till next time, I wish you all well.

Sincerely yours,

Maestro Infinite


	33. Chapter 1, Part 16

A/N: God it feels like forever since I've posted anything. Sorry about the lateness, things are just getting kind of hectic at college. But thank God, I only have two more weeks till Summer Break. So to all of you, my loyal followers, I appreciate your patience. I'm so happy that I have so many people's support and I am proud to say that this Danganronpa fanfic is becoming very popular. So I will put forth my best efforts and write a story that you will all enjoy. But first a little insight into the current free-time event poll status. (Which I don't really feel like putting up this time so I'll just tell you the results.) First place is Nodaka, obviously. Tied for second is Izuru and Azami, an odd pairing. Third place is Beigoma. Tied for fourth is Jose and Aya. Fifth place is Mukuro. Tied for sixth is Sawa, Keiko, and Chihiro. Tied for seventh is Nagito, Yasuke, Micho, Nate, Jonathan, and Soshun. And finally in last place we have Connie, Shiro, and Cam (wah wah wah) .

Now then, hopefully you'll find what I have in store for the rest of Chapter 1 to be well worth the wait. Now first off is the exploration, which unfortunately due to lack of time I had to cut into two parts. This part is a little introduction into the area inside Sector 1 and includes a little more detail into the inner mind of the Mastermind themself. We also have some tender Akira and Nodaka moments for all you fellow lovers of the childhood friend route, as well as some more insight into Locks. But unfortunately nobody else's Locks will be revealed yet. Not everyone is going to be as forthcoming as Akira and Nodaka are. Because you think their Locks are bad? It just gets even worse as it goes on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

* * *

 **Chapter 1, Part 16: Sector 1 exploration, Part 1: The rotten stench of despair**

* * *

DAYTIME, 6:35 P.M.

As I walked down the path into the inner layer of Despairadise with Nodaka, I took the time to look through my e-handbook map and make note of the points that were accessible. The whole of Despairadise was a large man-made valley that was surrounded by lush green hills, that were probably artificial given their appearance, and of course the large indestructible dome that enclosed it. I looked up from my e-handbook briefly and stared up at the high dome ceiling up above. The bunny-shaped hole that Usami made when she was crash landing was still there. 'Indestructible, my ass,' I thought. And then I saw the peculiar sight of two hard-hat wearing Monokumas climbing all the way up to the ceiling using a humongous scissor lift. They had tools with them so I assumed that they were going to patch the hole. But I was surprised to see that upon reaching Usami's hole the Monokumas patched it up in mere seconds, not only patched it, they did such a good job that it was almost as if there was never a hole in the dome in the first place. "What?!" I exclaimed.

Nodaka looked up to where I was looking. "Huh, I guess when he said it's indestructible he meant that it can easily be repaired." The two Monokumas caught us looking at them, and they waved at us from up above. Nodaka grunted, "Geez, we get that he's all powerful already. Why does he have to mock us?"

"Because he gets a kick out of torturing us with false hope," I replied as if it was obvious. And then moments later the scissor lift shot back down to Earth and the Monokumas scurried off somewhere else.

"I'll give him one thing, he sure is fast for a teddy bear," said Nodaka.

"You're forgetting he's a robotic, teleporting, ninja teddy bear," I replied.

Nodaka giggled. "God that sounds so ridiculous when you say it out loud, doesn't it?" She then turned to me. "So what does the map say? Where do we go?" she asked.

"Well the map shows that Despairadise's layout is like this," I said as I showed her my e-handbook map. The whole of Despairadise was surrounded by a large glassy-looking circle, which symbolized the dome. And inside the dome was a small green circle that ran around the edge of the dome. The word _Outskirts_ was etched on the green circle. I pointed to the _Outskirts_. "This is where we started from, you can tell because of the little indentation of a door right here at the side of the dome, and here's the oak tree where we met up at too. Then I pointed to a large path that ran from the _Outskirts_ to the center of Despairadise. This single path is how you access each area of Despairadise, do you see the markers for the gates to each area on the side?" There were four large gates around the path, two on either side. They led to areas marked off as _2_ , _3_ , _4_ , and 5. Those four areas split Despairadise into four quarters, and at the very center of Despairadise was a small area marked off with a _1_. "As you can see the sectors are all marked with a number, and all except for sector 1 here are in red. I think that means that this is the only sector we can explore right now." Then I touched the sector 1 icon and a miniature map of it popped up onto my screen. "Sector 1 is so small because the only thing it contains is this one building." It was a large two story building that had two towers on either side of it, and the towers had a glass covered tunnel that met in the middle of them, which contained an observation deck at the very center. What was really striking about the building though was its odd color scheme. The tower on the left was white and the tower on the right was black.

"So can it tell you any information about the building itself?" Nodaka asked.

"I think you need to actually visit the location before any information gets added to the map, at least that's what it says in the instructions. So far I only have the name of the building. It's called Twin Peaks Mall and Youth Hostel," I explained.

Nodaka sweatdropped. "A mall? Seriously? What generation does Monokuma even think we're from?"

"Aren't all girls obsessed with malls?" I asked.

"Maybe girls from the late eighties or early nineties, but not me. I make all my clothes myself, remember?" Nodaka replied.

"Well look on the bright side, a mall has lots of stores, right? So I'm sure at least one of them will have something useful," I replied.

"Useful for what, escaping or staying here?" Nodaka asked.

"Both?" I replied hesitantly.

Nodaka sighed. "It's a youth hostel too, right? So that means that's probably where we have to sleep. But still that whole term youth hostel feels me with dread. Aren't hostels those little cramped living quarters that low-budget students and backpack travelers stay at?" Nodaka asked.

"Yeah, some are pretty good though, depending on where you are," I replied.

Nodaka groaned. "Oh please don't tell me we have to share rooms? I need my own room to function and I can tell that every single one of those other girls would be an absolute pain sharing living space with."

"Well if worse comes to the worst, why don't you and I share a room?" I joked. And then without hesitation Nodaka gave my face a good smack. "Ow!" I yelped in pain.

"Idiot! D-Don't even joke about s-something like th-that!" she screamed in embarrassment.

My face was incredibly sore but it was worth it to see her reaction.

Her face was still red. "Geez, sleeping in the same room? How stupid can you get?" she muttered to herself. "Doesn't even try to set a mood or anything, he just automatically expects something dirty to happen. Jerk, dumb blockheaded jerk." She tried to be quiet about her ramblings so I wouldn't overhear her. But I did.

"Something dirty? What are you talking about?" I teased her. "I was just thinking that after what happened today you might not want to be alone so I was offering to keep you company. What did you think I wanted to do?"

"Eh?!" Nodaka was surprised. "Y-You weren't thinking about anything di-dirty?" she asked me.

"No. But what were you thinking of?" I implored her to answer.

"Umm…umm…umm…uh…that's uh…hey look is that a Monobeast?!" Nodaka suddenly shouted and pointed further down the path.

I thought she was just making stuff up to avoid having to answer my question, but when I turned to look I did indeed see a Monobeast blocking one of the gates further down the path. The gate was large and gold colored and had a number 2 engraved at the top of it, and I could see in the distance that it blocked off that nice looking neighborhood that I had seen before atop the hill. But before we could get any closer, the snake Monobeast hissed threateningly at us. Almost as if it was telling us that if we came any closer we'd end up being its dinner.

"Wow, I knew those things were big. But standing so close to one now, it really puts things into perspective," Nodaka said in a fearful tone.

"No need to worry my dear!" And then all of a sudden another little pain in the neck reared his head. Halokuma.

Nodaka yelped and held onto me for dear life. It seemed like the Monobeast had made her a little jumpy, and Halokuma ended up scaring her by just appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh my, I'm dreadfully sorry. Where are my manners? It's always proper etiquette to announce one's self before one begins talking. Are you alright, my dear?" Halokuma asked in a polite manner.

Nodaka, taking note that Halokuma posed no threat, nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm okay." She scoffed and tried to play it off. "Like any dopey little angel bear would scare me. You just caught me off guard is all. But speaking of which, why are you here anyway?"

"Oh why to inform you both of the exploration system for Despairadise of course. I have done so for your other companions that have passed through here, so now it's your turn. Please take note of the large mechanical monstrosity, known simply as a Monobeast, guarding the gate behind me," Halokuma pointed to the snake Monobeast. "And now please take note of the other three equally large Monobeasts guarding the other gates down this path." We followed Halokuma's instructions and saw the other Monobeasts were guarding gates as well. The bird Monobeast was guarding the number 3 gate. The horse Monobeast was guarding the number 4 gate. And the mountain lion Monobeast was guarding the number 5 gate. "They are here for one reason and one reason only."

"And that is?" I asked.

"Why to keep you from getting lost of course," Halokuma simply replied.

"Yeah right, it's to keep us from getting into the other sectors. Which means there must be something back there that Monokuma doesn't want us to see," said Nodaka.

Halokuma panicked. "Yikes! Please don't tell him I said anything! He can be very unforgiving!" he begged.

"Relax, we're not going to say anything," I assured Halokuma.

Halokuma immediately cheered up. "Really? Oh thank you, Akira my boy! You are such a gentle and caring soul!"

I sweatdropped. "Yeah, don't mention it."

"So if we can't explore these areas now, then when can we explore them?" Nodaka asked.

"Why when one of you dies of course," Halokuma simply said. And then when he realized what he said he panicked again. "I mean…um I don't know… I don't know anything at all! Look just don't go near the gates okay! Big brother please don't punish me!" Then he ran away out of fear for his own safety.

When we were alone again, Nodaka let down her mask. "So these areas are for exploring after one of us dies? Some kind of incentive, eh?" That realization made her a little gloomy.

"Hey, it's okay. No one's going to die. I'm not going to kill anyone, and I know you and the others aren't going to either. If these gates stay closed forever then no big deal, we'll find another way out of here. We're all going to leave this place together, that's a promise," I assured her.

That got her to smile a little bit. "Jeez, how the hell can you stay so positive all the time?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Being optimistic is like my one redeeming quality."

Nodaka scoffed. "Ain't that the truth?"

"Jeez, you could at least sugarcoat it," I replied.

"Not my style," Nodaka said. Then she turned to look back to the path ahead of us, and scrunched her nose.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just isn't there one missing?" she replied.

"What do you mean? One missing of what?" I asked.

"The Monobeasts," she replied. She pointed to the snake Monobeast guarding the number 2 gate and said, "One," then she pointed to the bird Monobeast, "Two," then the horse Monobeast, "Three," then the mountain lion Monobeast, "Four". "But remember there was a giant looking one too?"

I thought about our previous encounter with the Monobeasts and did recall the Monobeast she was referring to. "Oh yeah, that one." I looked down the path with the gates and saw that the colossus Monobeast was indeed missing. "Yeah you're right. Where did it go?"

Nodaka suddenly began to look around her person.

"What's wrong now?" I asked.

"Well usually, every time someone asks an ambiguous question Monokuma or one of his flunkies show up to explain things in an even more ambiguous way," Nodaka explained.

"Huh, come to think of it you're right," I replied. "Well maybe it's just a coincidence."

And then Diablokuma suddenly appeared in front of us. "Or is it, you mooks? _Fufufufufufu_!" And then just like that he disappeared.

"Say, what do you say we hurry and get moving before those two hold us up all day?" Nodaka asked.

"Good idea," I replied. And then without another word we headed off in the direction to Sector 1.

* * *

DAYTIME, 6:42 P.M.

And soon we arrived at a large, two-story building made almost entirely out of glass. And on either side of the building was a large tower that were connected by a glass tunnel and an observation deck set about two more stories above the building in the middle. A sign hung up above the entrance to the building and read: _Twin Peaks Mall. Despairadise's crown jewel._

"A mall is the crown jewel of this creepy little town under a dome? How much more ridiculous can he get?" Nodaka asked.

"You're forgetting, he also designed a sun with his face on it, that's currently setting as we speak," I replied.

"Touché," Nodaka replied.

"You guys think this is bad, just wait till you see the inside," a familiar voice suddenly called out to us.

We turned to see the combined duo of Yasuke and Deva approaching us. "Matsuda-kun, Murasame-kun? What are you two doing out here?" I asked.

"I couldn't take another minute of being in that damn place. Honestly the set up Monokuma has in there is just ridiculous," Yasuke replied.

"How do you mean?" Nodaka asked.

"It's well…it's not something that can be explained with words. You have to see for yourself," Yasuke replied.

"So we both decided to come out here and check out the surroundings instead," Deva explained.

"Did you find anything of note?" I asked.

"Zilch," Deva replied. "Apparently there's something in the towers as well but the only way to access them is from the second floor of the mall, but uh…neither of us wanted to venture any further than the first floor."

"Trust us, when you see it for yourselves you'll understand what we mean. But before you go torture yourselves do you guys want to hear what we've found out so far?" Yasuke asked.

"It might be a good idea to gather all the information we can, in case we miss something when we look over everything ourselves," Nodaka explained.

'Hmm, should we hear Yasuke and Deva out or just go on ahead?' I asked myself.

MAKE A DECISION

 _Find out what Yasuke and Deva know_

 _Just go inside the mall_

(Right decision **:** **First choice** ). "It would probably be best to know everything we can before we go any further. Okay tell us what you found so far," he said.

"Well first of all, you should know that this place is like an actual mall," said Yasuke. "It's got stores with a bunch of junk in them and a food court with a bunch of junk food in it."

"There's two floors in the mall, we all split up when we got here and checked out all the different areas. But unfortunately the ground we covered is only in the mall itself. We couldn't get into either of the towers so there's no telling what's in there," Deva explained.

"You said you can only access the towers through the second floor, right? Has anyone gone ahead and looked into them yet?" I asked.

"Not that I know of," Yasuke replied. "Like I said before, we couldn't take the first floor so there's no telling what's on the second. I saw a few of the others head up there before we left though. **Junmaru and Nanase, Kiyoshi and Historia, Akasaka and Takemi, and Kamukura and Komaeda, all of them went up there to scope out the second floor.** But that was about fifteen minutes ago, so they might be somewhere else now."

"So then the others should be somewhere on the first floor?" I asked.

Yasuke gave me a weird look. "Umm, I guess if you're going about it by elimination, yeah. But they could have gone somewhere else. This isn't a video game and they're not NPCs, they have a will of their own you know?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I was just concerned about everyone's location. There's no telling what kind of stuff Monokuma has around here. He might've set up booby traps or something," I replied.

"Yeah, I kind of figured something like that too…until I saw the mall of course," Deva replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Nodaka asked.

Deva sighed. "Just trust us on this. Once you see you'll understand."

"You guys should go and check up with the others now, see if they've found anything that's worthwhile in that freaking tourist trap. In the meantime, we're going to head back to the entrance. There might be something there that we missed before," Yasuke replied. "Oh but one more thing before you go? Are you feeling alright, Maita? The last time we saw you, you were kind of out of it."

I was grateful that Yasuke was concerned for my well-being, but somehow coming from him, the concern seemed very odd. But I nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just a little surprised by my Lock is all."

Yasuke nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean." He frowned and sighed heavily. "Mine's troubling to say the least."

"Really what is it?" I asked out of concern.

Yasuke shook his head. "Sorry, I can't tell you. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just…" he trailed off and then looked away. "Sorry, just not yet," he said.

"Well fine then. If you don't trust us, big deal. I'll have you know we already know each other's Locks and it hasn't changed a thing between the two of us. If you want to be the odd one out, then who needs you," Nodaka replied.

Yasuke shook his head. "I'm not the odd one out here. If anything, it's you two."

"Huh?" Nodaka and I replied.

"Something's changed already. Ever since we saw what the Locks for these stupid collars around our necks are, everybody's been kind of keeping to themselves. We're still working together but now it feels like there's walls separating all of us from each other. I don't think anybody's shared their Locks with each other besides you two, and if they aren't really as bad as you say then maybe it's just because you didn't draw the short stick. Some of them though, I could tell from just looking at them that seeing their Lock was like having their worlds shatter before their eyes. Mine's not as bad I guess, but trust me knowing what it is will change the way you look at me. You want my advice? Keep your Locks to yourselves and don't ask anyone else about their Locks either."

"…" Nodaka and I stayed silent as we just let the advice Yasuke gave us sink in.

Yasuke gave us one last look before he decided to leave. "Come on, let's go," he said to Deva.

"…" Deva stared at us too before he left to go after Yasuke.

Once the two boys were out of distance we pondered what Yasuke had told us. "If someone doesn't die within four days, then I die. I thought I drew the short straw on the Lock end," I said. "But if what Yasuke said is true, then the others might've gotten it way worse than me."

"This doesn't change anything," Nodaka assured me. "So what if the others hate their Locks too? You're the one we should be concerned about right now. I thought the others would understand that," she said with a sigh. "If nobody's in the mood to help us with this than the best thing for us to do is to just keep your problem under wraps and look for one of the combinations ourselves. It has to be us that find it though. If what Matsuda just said turns out to be true, then one of those idiots might use the combo to free themselves and we'll be screwed. So come on let's check this place from top to bottom." Nodaka motioned me towards the entrance to the mall.

I nodded and followed behind her.

* * *

DAYTIME, 6:48 P.M.

We entered Twin Peaks Mall through a set of motion sensor double doors, and upon entry we were immediately greeted with the sound of background music playing throughout the mall. The music sounded whimsical and cheerful, but almost like something that would annoy the hell out of you if exposed to it for too long. Sort of like elevator music.

Nodaka groaned. "God, we've only been here for twenty seconds and I'm already sick of this place." Then her nose twitched, and she scrunched up her face in disgust. Then she covered up her nose and mouth with both of her hands. "Oh God, what is that horrible stench?!" she exclaimed through her in a muffled tone. Her reaction was so freaking adorable. And what was even more adorable was what set her on edge. At the entrance to the mall there was a small kiosk that by the looks of it sold high-end perfume. The sign over the kiosk read: _Eau de Despair_.

I chuckled. "That's right, I remember how you couldn't stand the stench of perfume when you were younger either. Every time my mom would wear some you would gag and scrunch up your face just like that."

A chill ran down Nodaka's spine. "I honestly don't understand why women subject themselves to wearing such overbearing shit like that! It seriously smells like pine air-freshener mixed with fruit juice! It doesn't smell nice or refreshing, it just stinks!" she mumbled.

"Some people actually enjoy that smell," I replied. "Your senses are just too strong."

"No, that's not it! I just can't stand the smell of that toxic junk! It makes me want to vomit! Everything else that should smell good, does! Flowers, gourmet food, even memorable things like you!" she exclaimed.

I blushed. "I smell good?"

Then Nodaka blushed and removed one of her hands from her face in order to use to punch me in the gut. "Don't have that kind of reaction, idiot! I just meant that your smell is comforting to me, it reminds of our childhood together! But that stuff is just revolting!" Nodaka pointed angrily at the perfume kiosk.

Then Monokuma suddenly appeared. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Would you keep your negative comments to yourself please! I'll have you know that _Eau de Despair_ is currently a recognized perfume brand in our little fucked up world! Every female member of Ultimate Despair wears it in honor of their great Mistress Junko-chan! It was her own special brand of perfume that she made famous when she worked as a supermodel!" he exclaimed.

"God, no wonders it smells so foul. Anything that comes in contact with that girl turns rotten," Nodaka replied.

Monokuma sighed. "Honestly I agree. That perfume just smells like pure crazy in a bottle to me, but that's just me as an ex-Ultimate Despair talking. As you know I have bias towards Junko-chan, there is literally no one in the world who hates her as much as I do. I could kill her a billion times over in mind and it still wouldn't even come close to the recompense that she had coming. But the fact of the matter is that most girls in the world today are part of Ultimate Despair and they can't get enough of this shit. So I'm keeping these bottles handy for the business I'm sure to have real soon."

"So let me get this straight. You hate Ultimate Despair, but you still want them to buy perfume from you?" I asked in confusion.

"Oh not just perfume, dummy. Why do you think this place is a mall? It's all the drum up business. What do you think an artificial city just pays for itself? No way, making this place into the capital of the new world she was creating was always Junko-chan's vision. And this place was how she intended to keep things running smoothly. Here at Twin Peaks Mall, everything that a teenage Ultimate Despair could ever ask for is ripe for the taking. But a modest fee is required of course, even if Ultimate Despair is terrorist group they still demand some structure. Besides nothing causes more despair than that of money. Whether it's having too little or too much of it, everyone is always concerned about money. That's why when Ultimate Despair crashed the economy and made every single yen in Japan's accounts worthless well let's just say it was a matter of hours before the entire country was in ruin. A little known fact about terrorism, you destroy your target's source of income and they collapse at your feet."

"So if money is worthless in today's era, then why do you want it?" I asked.

"Well our old money system may be worthless now, but Ultimate despair came prepared and created a new monetary value." Monokuma reached into his pocket, yes that's right part of his fur was pockets, and pulled out a handful of copper coins with his face on them. "Tada, I present to you two, Japan and the world's new currency, Monocoins."

"Why am I not surprised?" I replied with an added sweatdrop. "You're a little egomaniac, aren't you?"

"Hey don't blame me. This is all Junko-chan's fault. Thanks to her making me the mascot of despair, everybody thinks that's all there is to me. I'm a little bear who loves to make people feel despair. But that's so not me anymore," Monokuma complained. "I've got a new Mastermind at the wheel and they hate despair and hope. Both of those ideals suck. From now on, I'm the mascot of nothing. I represent nothing. I'm the neutral power in all of this. Hope and despair can take a hike, I'm not loyal to either side. Why in fact, I bet the sight of seeing their ideals so crudely fused together in the same location is driving those idiots mad with rage. In the end, I don't think they even know why they're fighting anymore."

Monokuma paused and turned to look at a surveillance camera. "How about you, new Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy? Do you know the reason why?"

"New Headmaster? What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.

Monokuma turned to face me again. "You don't know, Akira-kun? No I guess you wouldn't be considering you've been in hiding for seven years. Well it was almost four years ago. It was only about two years into the Tragedy, but the world was already completely ruined. The Future Foundation was barely keeping Ultimate Despair at bay. But then along came one little Future Foundation member. Nobody really thought that much of him at first, he had only been brought into the Future Foundation because he had been declared a hero by his peers. But that all changed through his actions. I told you about him before remember? Mr. N?"

"But I thought you said that guy was executed along with those Ultimate Despairs he cured?" Nodaka asked freely. It looks like her mind had been taken off the stench of Eau de Despair.

"The Future Foundation tried to, but that little Mr. N was so stubborn that he saw his vision of hope through to the end. And those same Ultimate Despairs he helped cure, helped him in return. He rebelled against the ruling of the Future Foundation and fought for his own ideal of hope, and he thereby tried to recreate the school that represented hope. He rebuilt Hope's Peak Academy and took on the title of Headmaster. But still, Mr. N still has strong ties to the Future Foundation. He may have retired on paper, but he's still very much involved in their operations. One could say he's now a branch leader in his own right." Then Monokuma looked back to the camera. "So I'm sure you of all people should know the answer, Mr. N. What are you all fighting for? Your vision of hope? Doesn't that seem a bit selfish? Are you sure that your vision of hope is the same for everyone else in your inner circle? You should talk to your allies, I'm sure you'll find that they have some sins that they haven't confessed to yet. Particularly the one with the silver hair and the eyepatch. That friend of yours is definitely keeping something from you. And yes, in case you haven't guessed my reason for hating the Future Foundation so much has something to do with that friend of yours."

I could tell that the Mastermind was speaking from the bottom of his heart. "I know you're a good person, Mr. N. You beat the person who I thought was unbeatable. The world hasn't ended completely yet because of you, and people like you. But unfortunately, your help came a little too late. By that time, a horrible plot by the Future Foundation was being set into motion by that silver-haired, eyepatch-wearing friend of yours. Though you may be trying to lead the Future Foundation in a different direction, their name is still tainted with the ruin of your friend and their previous allies. Both of your friend's allies betrayed your friend in the end, didn't they?"

"One was tainted with Junko-chan's despair and the other was blackmailed by Junko-chan into keeping their fat mouth shut, all because of some dopey little crush that they were too chicken-shit too share. And because of the ruin from the inner workings of despair, your friend despaired despair and set out to destroy it. Didn't your friend try to kill you that day because they thought you were the traitor for Ultimate Despair? When really it was their girlfriend and their boss who betrayed them? _Upupupupupu_ , that's right. I know the truth about that day. I know it all too well. I know that what Ultimate Despair said was a big fat lie, they didn't do anything right? The Future Foundation brought about its own ruin because it was too stupid and pig-headed to see two traitors right in front of them," Monokuma explained.

"Though your friend may apologize. Though they may wish to forget that day so much, they cannot. For what happened there that day is their fault. As far as I see it what happened that day of the Monokuma Hunter game was your eyepatch-friend's fault as well as your anime-loving friend's fault. Yes, that's right. I know about them too. Your anime-loving friend had something very powerful on their person, did they not? A certain video that had the power to undo everything that Junko-chan had done to this world and end this stupid fucking war. They had the opportunity to use it, to be a hero and rid the world of its virus once and for all. But did they do it? No. Because they fell for the pathetic words of their classmates, the one who you saved from despair. Truth be told, there's two more people I blame alongside your eyepatch-wearing and anime-loving friends. One would be the leader of your anime-loving friend's classmates, your heterochromatic and very talented friend. You know the one I'm talking about, right? They were responsible for delivering the message that Ultimate Despair caused the Monokuma Hunter game. Were they not? That message just fanned the flames of war even more, which is why here we are four years later and the world is still broken beyond repair. And finally, you. You're the last person I blame for the events of that day, because you allowed everything to transpire just this way because it satisfied your selfish view of hope. Well what about my hope, Mr. N? Where's my justice? Where's my recompense? When will I get the ending to my pain?"

Monokuma chuckled. "But don't get me wrong, the day of the Monokuma Hunter game isn't the only reason why I despise the Future Foundation. No, that's something else entirely. If you want to know more you should ask that eyepatch-wearing friend of yours, I'm sure they remember the face of every single person they cut down with that damn katana of theirs. But if you need help jogging their memory, try asking about the Paradox corporation. And if they need an even bigger jog, the girl that his psychotic little girlfriend killed in cold blood. She wasn't armed and they had to plant a weapon on her to make it seem like she resisted, like she was an Ultimate Despair. She wasn't though, she was innocent in all of this. She wasn't with the Future Foundation or Ultimate Despair, she was neutral. She didn't want any part of this horrible war, and still she got dragged into it. That's right, your precious Future Foundation killed an innocent girl. I know because I was there. That girl was one of my best friends, she pleaded for her life, begged the psychotic girlfriend of your eyepatch-wearing friend to spare her and her friend's lives. And that psychotic bitch just laughed and filled her with bullets. She just kept firing, and firing. Even after she was already dead. She dehumanized her, turned her into Swiss cheese. All of this while wearing the psychotic smile of Ultimate Despair."

"Obviously, I kept the guilty parties' names out of these events for spoiler reasons. Because, you're not the only one watching the show, Mr. N. Remember, the whole world is watching. The whole world will soon know all of the Future Foundation's sins." Then Monokuma turned away from the camera. "But in the meantime, sit back and watch as some familiar kids play a callback to one of the most fun games ever invented. Now where was I? Oh yes!" Monokuma handed Nodaka and I each five of the Monocoins in his paw.

"Everything in this world runs on money, whether it's yen or Monocoins, it's all the same. You can live in Despairadise quite comfortably if you wish not to kill. All you have to do is have a few Monocoins on hand. I'll give you each five to start out with, as I've already given all the other five as well. But from here on out, you're on your own when it comes to them. If you want more Monocoins you can either do what most of the world's youth are too lazy to do and work part-time at one of the fabulous establishments here at Twin Peaks or spend your days mind-numbingly scrounging around for spare change. There's always a Monocoin hiding in the cushion of one of the food court chairs or somewhere about. Search high and low and you're sure to find some."

"So we can exchange Monocoins for something in the mall?" I asked.

"Well most of these stores are pretty cheap, but for almost broke idiots like you I'd recommend the general store on the second floor. You can find all sorts of stuff in there, all just for one Monocoin," Monokuma replied.

"And anywhere else?" I asked.

"Every other store ranges from five Monocoin purchases to one-hundred million Monocoin purchases," Monokuma replied.

"One-hundred million?!" I exclaimed.

"That's mainly the electronic store though. I doubt the only ones among you flunkies who are interested in stuff like that are Cam-kun and Chihiro-chan. Just look around the mall already, you've wasted enough of my time," Monokuma replied.

"You're the one who kept us here because of your stupid soliloquy about how the Future Foundation screwed you over," Nodaka replied. Then her nostrils flared up again. "Oh God, my mind was so focused on that stupid bear that I didn't notice the stench of that bitch Enoshima's perfume, but now the stench is creeping back up on me!" She covered her nose and mouth with her hands again and then proceeded to walk forward. "Come on, Akira!" She walked past the perfume kiosk and further into the mall.

I was about to follow her, but I paused and looked back at Monokuma. I pitied him, I didn't want to, but I couldn't help it. If what the Mastermind was saying was really true, then they were really just another one of Junko Enoshima's victims. Everyone and everything in their life was taken away from them, by Ultimate Despair and the Future Foundation. 'Hope. Despair. Maybe neither side is right after all. But what's left? Which path is the right one?' I asked myself. Then I remembered the Mastermind's words. 'Nothing. Neutrality. Being above it all. Could that be the answer I'm looking for? Is that the hope I want?'

"Hey what are you staring at me for you creepazoid?! Go ogle your girlfriend! You make her dress like a maid for you, for crying out loud, she'll do anything you want!" Monokuma shouted at me.

"I...I don't m-make her dress like that," I blushed and stuttered.

"Sure. Sure. She dresses like that because she's the Ultimate Maid. Oh wait, no she's not. So if she's not wearing it for that reason, either she likes how they look or her boyfriend is just a perv who has a maid fetish. Which one seems like the more likely option?"

"Shut up!" I shouted back at him.

"Then look me in the eyes and tell me you don't like that outfit on her," Monokuma replied.

"…" I fell silent.

"That's what I thought. Seeyah!" Monokuma exclaimed and then disappeared again.

I growled. "Dammit, I can't believe I actually pitied that asshole."

* * *

A/N: Okay, we'll stop for there. Next time, we'll see all the crazy stores inside Twin Peaks mall. And trust me when I say that hilarity will ensue.


End file.
